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By John Chipman

IN the manufacture of rimming steel-which constitutes the bulk of the world's production of mild steel-the factors that determine the quality of the product are very closely associated with the pouring and solidification of the steel in the ingot mold. The behavior of the metal in the mold is, on the one hand, the resultant of the complex processes through which the liquid metal has passed, and, on the other, it is an indication of the probable behavior of the ingot during subsequent rolling and finishing operations. A detailed study of the mechanism of solidifica-tion of rimming ingots ought to yield information that will be useful iii controlling the structure of the ingot and the quality of the ultimate product. The first step in such a study is to determine the rate at which the solid shell of the ingot forms from the liquid metal in the mold. A knowledge of the rate of solidification will make it possible to correlate observations of rimming action and gas evolution with studies of the structure, porosity, and segregation within the ingot. Thus, if the metal in the mold is observed to fall, let us say one minute after pouring, the portion of the structure associated with this fall will lie located in the part of the ingot that is solidifying at that particular moment. The knowledge that the ingot solidifies to a depth of ¾ in. in the first minute enables us to locate in the ingot the structural features corresponding to the observed fall. Conversely, the blowhole condition associated with a rising or growing ingot will be found in the part of the ingot that is solidifying at the time the phenomenon occurs. The time required for the complete solidification of an ingot has long been a matter of speculation. It is of considerable practical importance in connection with charging and heating in the soaking pits. Too rapid handling of the ingot through heating and rolling processes has been thought to be associated-with excessive pipe and other internal defects, so that a further object of this investigation was to attempt to estimate the time required for complete solidification, or the minimum practical time within which the subsequent operations can be performed with the minimum hazard.

Jan 1, 1937

By B. D. Cullity, A. Freda

It is well known that deformation by cold drawing or swaging produces a kind of preferred orientation called fiber texture in metal wires. Such textures have been extensively studied by means of X-ray diffraction, chiefly by techniques in which the diffracted X-rays are recorded photographically. This paper describes some results obtained with a new method, involving the use of a diffractometer. X-RAY METHOD Since the pole figure of a material having a fiber texture is symmetrical about the fiber axis, there is no need to present the entire pole figure. Instead, texture data can be summarized by means of a curve showing the variation of pole density along any meridian of the pole figure, if the north-south axis of the latter is made parallel to the fiber axis. The position of a pole on the meridian is specified by the angle 9 between the pole and the fiber axis (wire axis). The X-ray method1 used here to measure pole density as a function of 9 actually consists of two methods, referred to as A and B. In method a, X-rays are reflected from the wire surface. Pole densities can be measured by this method from O = 90 deg down to a limiting value which is dependent on the Bragg angle 8 and is typically of the order of 30 to 40 deg. Method B involves diffraction from the wire cross section and covers a range of 0 values from 0 up to an angle sufficient to overlap the measurements made by method A. By a combination of the two methods, a complete pole-density curve can be obtained. However, method A alone, which requires no specimen preparation other than etching, can often reveal enough of the pole-density curve to provide complete information about texture components. Both methods require that the measured diffracted intensities be corrected for changes in absorption and diffracting volume with changes in 9. A11 intensities I reported in this paper are corrected diffracted intensities; they are propor-

Jan 1, 1960

By John Hays Hammond

The Transvaal comprises about 120,000 square miles (nearly • the size of the United States Territory of New Mexico). Besides the famous Witwatersrand, which will here be de scribed in detail, there are two quartz-mining districts of some importance, viz., Lydenburg and De Kaap. The Lydenburg district first attracted attention in 1876, when the alluvial deposits of that section began to be exploited. At a later period vein-rnining was started, and at the present time several companies are operating in that district. The product in 1898 of five companies, running 137 stamps, was 154,560 tons of ore, yielding 108,884 crude ounces of gold (an average of 14.09 dwt. crude gold per ton) valued at £392,378. The De Eaap gold-fields were discovered in 1884. In 1898, seven companies, running 200 stamps, produced 89,760 crude ounces of gold, valued at £314,792. I. Mining Titles in the Transvaal. The mining laws of the Tranuvaal are most excellent in char acter, and while the claims cover every square foot of land for an area of nearly 40 miles long by from 2 to 3- miles wide, there have been practically no conflicts over extra-lateral rights. Notwithstanding the change in the political status of the Transvaal likely to follow the present war, it may be coufi dently assumed that the main features of the mining law of the South African Republic will be retained, and certain op pressive featureu of monopolies, etc., bearing with special weight on the mining industry, will be abolished. The dynamite mo nopoly was one that bore most heavily on the mining industry; and, according to the Reports of the State Mining Engineer, explosives, including fuse and detonators, amounted to nearly 10 per cent. of the total working costs of the mines. Further more, it was impossible to obtain the proper quality for the most economical working, and often 80-per-cent. or 40-per-cent. gelatine had to be used- in many instances where 60-per-cent.

Jan 1, 1902

An informal discussion on the application of physical chemistry to steelmaking was held during the Annual Meeting of the Institute in February, 1929. Alexander L. Feild presided. In opening the session, Mr. Feild said: We are all familiar with the cooperative mining and metallurgical studies that were begun in 1920 by the U. S. Bureau of Mines, the Carnegie Institute of Technology, and the Mining and Metallurgical Advisory Boards, and in particular with the work on the physical chemistry of steelmaking which was launched under the technical direction of Dr. C. H. Herty, Jr., in May, 1926. It was this work at Pittsburgh more than anything else that was the immediate cause of the formation within the Institute of a committee on the physical chemistry of steelmaking. During the latter part of 1927 a small group of Institute members interested in. the general subject of the physical chemistry of steelmaking undertook the organization of a subcommittee within the Iron and Steel Committee, to foster an active interest in this comparatively new field among the Institute membership and to obtain papers for publication in the Transactions, covering the various phases of the general subject. This plan was conceived by C. E. Meissner, to whose active efforts at the outset as well as during the past year is largely due whatever measure of success the plan has thus far attained. The subcommittee, now a committee of the Iron and Steel Division, was recognized and formally made a part of the Institute's organization at the February, 1928, meeting. As originally organized and as const,it,uted during the past year the committee has been made up as follows: C. H. Herty, Jr., C. D. King, A. B. Kinzel, John Johnston, C. E. Meissner, L. F. Reinartz, R. B. Sosman, and A. L. Feild, Chairman. Dr. C. H. Herty, Jr. has just been elected chairman for the coming year and C. E. Meissner has been reelected as secretary. From the outset it has been the settled policy of the committee to make membership an annual rather than a permanent matter and to reconstitute in part the membership of the committee each year by dropping a certain number of members and adding new members. In view of the fact that the work of the committee is still in a

Jan 1, 1929

By P. Marier, T. R. Ingraham

When cylindrical powder compacts of nickelous oxide (NiO) are heated in an equilibrated stream of SO3, SO,, and 02, in the temperature range 500°to 800°c, tlickelous suljate (NiSO4) is formed as an adherent layer on the oxide. The reaction is diffusion-controlled, with an activation energy of 13 ± 3 kcal per mole. When cylindrical powder compacts of NiSO4 are heated in a stream of dry nitrogen in the temperature range 1000 0to 11500C, NiO is formed at a well-defined interface between the sulfate and oxide. The interjhce migrates into the sulfate at a constant rate at a constant temperature and gas flow. The reaction rate increases with increasing gas flow and decreases with increasing partial pressure of SO3 in the gas stream. Resolution of the partial-pressure data with a Lang-itzliir Adsorption Isothern suggests that about 80 pct of the NiO interface is covered with SO3. The heat of adsovption is about 68 kcal per mole. The activation energy of the decomposition process is 61 ± 3 kcal per mole. MOST of the work reported on the formation and decomposition of nickel sulfate is related to thermodynamics.1-3 No quantitative work has been reported on the decomposition process. The only kinetic work reported on the formation is that by Fletcher and shelef.4-6 whose main purpose was to study the effects of alkali metal sulfate additions on increasing the rate of nickel sulfate formation. They found that, in the absence of an additive, only small amounts of sulfate were formed and the kinetic data were difficult to interpret. However, they suggested that the sulfa-tion of nickel oxide is a diffusion-controlled process for which the activation energy is approximately 17 kcal per mole.6 In this paper, both the formation and decomposition reactions will be examined; and based on the effects of temperature, flow rate, interfacial area, and partial-pressure of sulfur trioxide, mechanisms and activation energies will be suggested for both processes. EXPERIMENTAL Material. The nickel source material used in all experiments was Baker and Adamson Reagent Grade NiSO4. 6H2O, for which the following analysis was supplied by the manufacturer: C1, 0.001 pct; NO3, 0.005 pct; Co, 0.02 pct; Cu, 0.005 pct; Pb, 0.002 pct; Fe, 0.001 pct: insol, 0.005 pct. The anhydrous sulfate was prepared by heating the hydrate at 420°C in a muffle furnace for 5 hr. Nickel oxide was prepared by decomposing the sulfate at 950°C over a period of 10 hr. Method. The technique used for measuring the rates of formation and decomposition was developed earlier in these laboratories.7-8 The method is based on the observation that the kinetic parameters of a reaction can be established in a flow system, with specimens prepared by compacting powder to a uniform pellet shape. The results are identical with those established with solid polycrystalline specimens or single

Jan 1, 1967

By A. C. Bulnes

This paper applies the methods of statistical analysis to the interpretation of core analysis data of dolomitic limestone from the San Andres formation at Wasson and the Clearfork formation at Fullerton. Probability relationships are shown to connect the porosity and the permeability and the porosity and the fluid saturation. For example, the porosity-permeability relationship expresses the probability that a sample of porosity,f, will or will not be permeable. The over-all porosity frequency distribution of the reservoir together with the frequency curves of permeability (one for each class interval of porosity) provide a precise basis for computing the weighted average productive porosity of the reservoir for any assigned value of the minimum productive permeability. The probability that the permeability of a core specimen from Fullerton will exceed a given value appears to be dependent on the percentage porosity of the specimen, its void structure type (i.e., porosity in the qualitative sense), and the given value of the permeability. If continuous profiles of void structure type and porosity are available together with the appropriate porosity-probability of permability plots, the nes pay thickness may be estimated. The Invasion Index of a well is defined in terms of the porosity and permeability data. This index is suggested as a basis for comparing wells as regards their suitability as fluid-injection wells. Three problems of importance in the exploitation of limestone reservoirs may be stated as follows: 1. The determination of the productive porosity of the reservoir. The productive porosity is defined as f = fPVP/V [II in which Vp, is the volume of the reservoir that is sufficiently permeable to oil to give up an appreciable fraction of its original oil in place during the economic life of the reservoir; fp, is the arithmetic mean porosity of the permeable volume v*, and V is the total volume of the reservoir. 2. The determination of the number of feet of oil-bearing porous rock that will produce at a commercial rate into the well bore; i.e., the net pay thickness. 3. The choice of fluid-injection wells in a secondary recovery program. The ultimate recovery of the reservoir is proportiona1 to the productive porosity. The productive capacity of the well is proportional to the net pay thickness. The principal purpose of this paper is to show that the methods of statistical analysis when applied to core analysis data of dolomitic limestones offer a useful approach to the solution of these three problems, as well as others of importance in reservoir engineering. The use of these methods was suggested by the work of Jan Law.1

Jan 1, 1946

By A. C. Bulnes

This paper applies the methods of statistical analysis to the interpretation of core analysis data of dolomitic limestone from the San Andres formation at Wasson and the Clearfork formation at Fullerton. Probability relationships are shown to connect the porosity and the permeability and the porosity and the fluid saturation. For example, the porosity-permeability relationship expresses the probability that a sample of porosity,f, will or will not be permeable. The over-all porosity frequency distribution of the reservoir together with the frequency curves of permeability (one for each class interval of porosity) provide a precise basis for computing the weighted average productive porosity of the reservoir for any assigned value of the minimum productive permeability. The probability that the permeability of a core specimen from Fullerton will exceed a given value appears to be dependent on the percentage porosity of the specimen, its void structure type (i.e., porosity in the qualitative sense), and the given value of the permeability. If continuous profiles of void structure type and porosity are available together with the appropriate porosity-probability of permability plots, the nes pay thickness may be estimated. The Invasion Index of a well is defined in terms of the porosity and permeability data. This index is suggested as a basis for comparing wells as regards their suitability as fluid-injection wells. Three problems of importance in the exploitation of limestone reservoirs may be stated as follows: 1. The determination of the productive porosity of the reservoir. The productive porosity is defined as f = fPVP/V [II in which Vp, is the volume of the reservoir that is sufficiently permeable to oil to give up an appreciable fraction of its original oil in place during the economic life of the reservoir; fp, is the arithmetic mean porosity of the permeable volume v*, and V is the total volume of the reservoir. 2. The determination of the number of feet of oil-bearing porous rock that will produce at a commercial rate into the well bore; i.e., the net pay thickness. 3. The choice of fluid-injection wells in a secondary recovery program. The ultimate recovery of the reservoir is proportiona1 to the productive porosity. The productive capacity of the well is proportional to the net pay thickness. The principal purpose of this paper is to show that the methods of statistical analysis when applied to core analysis data of dolomitic limestones offer a useful approach to the solution of these three problems, as well as others of importance in reservoir engineering. The use of these methods was suggested by the work of Jan Law.1

Jan 1, 1946

By J. M. Callow

THE results obtained by pneumatic flotation throughout the country on all classes of ore, and. the tonnage now being treated by this particular method, speak for themselves. Its advantages over the so-called agitation process are now established by facts and data from practice. The comparative efficiency of a rapidly revolving paddle, as a means for aerating an ore pulp, and of a cycloidal or turbine blower for the same purpose, would seem to be so obvious as to leave no room for discussion. Practitioners in this art are to be congratulated on the acquisition of the valuable literary contributions that have recently been made on the theory of. flotation by Messrs. Ralston, Van Arsdale, Taggart and Beach, and others, and the very valuable and able articles, by Messrs. Laist and Wiggin on "Flotation Concentration at Anaconda, Mont.," by, Dr. Rudolf Gahl- on the "History of Flotation at Inspiration," and by David Cole on "The Advent of Flotation in the Morenci District." It is not within the province of this article to attempt an answer to the various issues raised in regard to the theory, or to defend the one advanced by me a year ago. But since discussion usually benefits the profession, a reply will be made to some of the statements made by the last-named writers. COMPARATIVE SENSITIVENESS AND ATTENDANCE Concerning 'the article, "Flotation Concentration at Anaconda, Mont.," by Laist and Wiggin, a little explanation is in order. It should be stated that; with the exception of about 24 days at the end of the testing 'period, the Callow experimental plant at Anaconda was not run under my direction. This perhaps accounts for some of the conclusions drawn on page 562 of the descriptive paper. The conclusion that the use of acid seems to be of considerable advantage, calls, for some comment. While the tests conducted by the Anaconda Copper Co. do show acid to be, of considerable benefit, this is a consequence of using acid sludge as a flotation agent. My belief has always been that the Anaconda

Jan 2, 1917

By P. G. Beckett

THE problem of handling the large quantities of water encountered in the Old Dominion mine presents many features of interest. In the present paper are discussed the probable sources of water, the pumping equipment, the increased flow into the mine in the early part of 1915, culminating in the flooding of the 18th and 16th levels in March of that year, and the difficulties that were met with during the high-water period. I. PRELIMINARY The Old Dominion mine, situated 1 mile north of the town of Globe, Ariz., has long been one of the prominent copper producers of the State, and until the opening up of the copper schist deposits in the neighboring mines of Miami, was responsible for the greater part of the copper output from the Globe district. As the gradual exhaustion of its orebodies near the surface led to the downward development of the mine, more water was encountered in the western portions directly underlying the dacite formation until the drainage problem became a serious factor in the operation of the mine and in the economical extraction of the ore. A heavy inrush of water on the 10th level of the mine in 1906, preceded by still earlier water difficulties, rendered imperative the immediate installation of a pumping equipment capable of handling large flows of water. While the Old Dominion has been recognized as a wet mine since its early clays and one in which the complete control of the water situation was of paramount importance in the development of the lower levels, it is chiefly in the last nine years, since the installation of the increased pumping equipment, that the mine has developed and handled large quantities of water.

Jan 4, 1916

By Frank R. Van Horn

It is customary to ascribe two general modes of occurrence to natural gas, namely, shale gas which, as the name indicates, is found in shale, and reservoir gas, which occurs in sandstone, conglomerate and dolomitic limestone. Both of these types are found in the Cleveland district. The shale gas has been produced on a small scale for a long period of years, probably dating back as far as 1883. Shale gas is a low-pressure gas, small in volume with variable pressure, and is limited to no definite horizon. It is generally independent of oil, may last for a long time, and is not dependent to any great extent on the structure of the rocks. There are many such wells in the district which range from 400 to 1,840 ft. in depth, although most have been completed at about 800 ft. This indicates that the wells pass through the Cleveland and Chagrin shales into the Huron or Portage shale of the Upper Devonian. During the last 2 years great interest has developed in a deeper-seated reservoir gas. What is commonly called reservoir gas is generally a high-pressure gas occurring in large volume at a definite horizon. Oil may, or may not, be associated with the gas, and in most regions in which reservoir gas is found, the geological structure is of great importance. This type of gas occurs in all large fields such as those of West Virginia which have been supplying Cleveland until the recent discovery of local gas at great depths in commercial amounts. Historical Outline The oldest well producing reservoir gas in the district was drilled in 1886 in Newburg for what was then known as the Cleveland Rolling Mill Co. This well was 3,000 ft. deep, and was thought to have reached the "Clinton" formation. Two "sands" showing small amounts of oil were recorded in the Niagara limestone at depths of 2,658 and 2,686 ft. This is about the horizon of the so-called Newburg sand which has proved to be of some importance as a source of gas and oil by recent drilling operations. The rock pressure was reported to be 400 to 500 lb. per square inch, but since the volume was only 14,000 to 16,000 cu. ft. daily, the well was not only considered unsuccessful but was thought to prove the absence of high-pressure gas in commercial quantities in the Cleveland district.

Jan 1, 1917

By Benjamin F. Tillson

The hammer drill rightly receives the credit for having made the one-man drill possible, and so many economies seem possible through the proper application of different types of hammer drills to various mining, quarrying, and excavating operations, that an indication of the 'economies effected by the New Jersey Zinc Co. at its Franklin mines may be of pertinent interest. When this company commenced its trials of hammer drills in 1907, these tools had not been developed to one-fourth the capacity and refinement which they have at present. At that time it was frequently stated that such a small tool, drilling holes of less diameter than the reciprocating rock drill, could not drill enough holes in a shift to permit the placing of sufficient explosive to break a tonnage of ore comparable with that produced by the "rock drills;" that the placing of small holes inclined upward, at angles steeper than 40' above the horizontal, could not be expected to produce results equal to the large flat, wet or dry, holes in the breasted back of an overhand stope, and would only shatter the ground so as to make the back unsafe. In spite of these adverse opinions, the hammer drills first showed their superiority over both heavy and light reciprocating drills in raising and in stoping, and then in drifting and quarry work. As a result, all of the reciprocating drills at the Franklin mines were scrapped three years ago, all of the mining work being accomplished with increased efficiency, as shown in detail in this article. With the advent of the hammer drill in this property, it was considered advisable to make comparative tests of all the tools accessible, and it has since been the policy to investigate the merits of any advance of the drilling art in order to get the maximum amount of work from the tools. The necessity of devising some means of standardizing drill tests, and of measuring the consumption of compressed air as well as the drilling speed, was early realized. The common test was to fill a measured air receiver with compressed air at a certain gauge pressure, run the drill until the pressure had dropped to too low a figure, then compute from the time, drop in pressure, and

Jan 1, 1915

By AIME AIME

AS director of Battelle Memorial Institute and as Chairman of the important O.P.M. advisory committee on metals and minerals, Clyde E. Williams numbers his acquaintances in the mineral industries by the thousands and h because his principal hobby is liking human beings, most of his acquaintancs are also his friends. Clyde is one of the many outstanding metallurgist, in the United States who started as a chemist. After graduating from the University of Utah in 1915 he was successively chemist for U.S. Smelting Refining and Mining Co., and at the Bureau of Mines station at Ithaca, N.Y. He then got into, metallurgical work and in 1920 he was appointed superintendent of the Northwest Station of the Bureau of Mines at, Seattle. Subsequently he was assistant to H. Foster Bain in metallugical work for the

Jan 1, 1942

By William H. Shockley

There was an extensive mining and industrial exploitation of Russia, about 20 years ago, by Belgian, French and British capitalists; but the results were discouraging. It is said that the Belgian and French public together lost approximately $400,000,000, chiefly in the coal and iron industry of southern Russia. This loss is largely accounted for by the fact that most of the companies were formed, as usual in " boom" times, to sell stock; and that thorough investigations were not made. I11 1906, renewed interest was taken in Russian mines, especially in those of gold and copper, and a considerable literature is growing on this subject; but as yet I have seen no account of one of the large Russian mining estates. The following notes on such property, where the conditions are so different from those in the mining regions of the United States, should be of interest: This inadequate and probably somewhat inaccurate account is made up, partly from my own notes made on the ground, in the summers of 1904 and 1905, and partly from a volume on the geology and resources of the estate issued several years ago, containing surface- and mine-maps, and from a pamphlet published in 1904, giving a general account of the condition and prospects of the property. This pamphlet includes a report made in 1899 by Arthur L. Pearse, a member of this Institute. Both these books are in Russian, and were prepared by the Bogoslovsk Mining Co., which owns and operates the property. Articles in many other languages have appeared dealing with various matters connected with the estate; but I know of no other general account of it. In numerous books and articles on the Urals and Siberia, however, localities are described in which somewhat similar conditions prevail. Recent papers by

Jan 1, 1909

By H. I. Aaronson, C. Laird

The kinetics of thickening and of lengthening of ?' plates in an Al-3.93 pct Cu alloy in the temperature range 203" to 300" C were determined by means of transmission electron microscopy. The rate of thickening was found to be less than that allowed by volume diffusion control at all temperatures, by amounts which increased with decreasing temperature, in agreement with the predictions of a general theory of precipitate morphology.1 Thickening was treated on the basis of the ledge mechanism. Ledges were deduced to spread across the broad faces of ?' plates at volume dzjrfusion-controlled rates, as anticipated from the disordered structure of their edges. Lengthening of 8' plates, on the other hand, took Place more rapidly than allowed by volume dzjrfusion. This occurred despite clear morPhological evidence of a bmrier to growth at the edges of these plates. It was concluded that the misfit dislocation structure comprising the barrier requires that lengthening take place by a jog mechanism. The tnisfit dislocations, however, also serve as diffusion short circuits, and allow high overall lengthening rates to be achieved. In Part I' it was shown that, within the range of aging temperatures and times studied, the broad faces of 8' plates formed in Al-4 pct Cu are fully coherent with the a, matrix. Virtually .all of the dislocations present in these faces were found to have developed as a result of plastic deformation in the a phase. Such dislocations are thus "intruders", rather than the more usual misfit-compensating variety. The edges of 8' plates were confirmed, by extension of the earlier studies of Mat-suura and Koda,3 to be made up of edge-type misfit dislocations, in sessile orientation with respect to lengthening of the plates. These interfacial structures should cause 8' plates to thicken and to lengthen at rates less than those allowed under the condition of volume diffusion control, such as would be expected if the interphase boundaries had disordered structures.' The narrow width of 8' plates, the reproducible crystallography of their broad faces, and the appearance of these plates in cross section as octagons rather than as circular discs2 provide qualitative support for these deductions. The present study of the rate of thickening and the rate of lengthening of 8' plates was undertaken in order to examine them on a quantitative basis. I) THICKENING KINETICS OF THE BROAD FACES OF?' PLATES A) Literature Review. The measurements now available on the thickening kinetics of single-phase precipitate plates consist of one plot of the thickening of a proeutectoid ferrite plate in an Fe-C alloy,' showing (as predicted) thickening rates less than those allowed by volume diffusion control. B) Experimental Procedure. Details of the preparation of the 4-3.93 pct Cu alloy used in this study have been previously reported.4 As in Part 1,' transmission electron microscopy was the observational tool employed. A general description of the apparatus and procedures of the electron microscopy studies is given in Section I of Part I. In thin foils, 0' plates tend to form at and parallel to the foil surface.' A direct investigation of the thickening process by means of hot-stage transmission electron microscopy was therefore not feasible. It was thus necessary to use the conventional method of aging individual bulk specimens for a wide range of different times at the various temperatures studied. In each specimen, the thicknesses of a number of plates were measured. Since thin foils prepared from "bulk-aged" material contain a large proportion of grains with orientations near (001) , it was relatively easy to find, near the edges of the foils, the characteristic multifold patterns of intersecting extinction contours which indicate regions where the foil is exactly at an (001) orientation. The thicknesses of large numbers of plates were measured along the (200) branches of the "stars" so that the 8' plates were precisely parallel to the optical axis of the microscope. Wherever possible, intersecting extinction contours were adjusted with the parameter s > 0 to improve the visibility of the plates in bright-field illumination. These precautions, in combination with taking the measurements at the thinnest parts of the foils, minimized the errors in the measurement of the thickness of the plates resulting from inexact parallelism to the electron beam. Since the plates were very thin, it was not easy to measure their thickness on the photographs. The techniques of enlargement and of microdensitometry were employed to minimize errors from this part of the measurement. A further source of possible error, that the plates can appear thicker because of contrast associated with mismatch normal to the plane of the plate, was also considered. The images of the plates were usually thinner than those of dislocations, however, and no anomalous changes in apparent plate thickness were observed when regions of foil containing plates were tilted through various diffracting conditions. Any error from this cause must therefore be small. Other sources contributing errors were: a) the microdensitometer traces per se and the subjective estimates of their peak limits, and b) slight fluctuations in magnification associated with small changes in the current of the objective lens of the electron microscope. The overall error probably amounted to no more than 5 to 10 pct. In order to obtain readily interpretable data on thickening kinetics, it is essential that the diffusion fields of adjacent ?' plates not be allowed to overlap. Calculations'-' showed that this condition is definitely not ful-

Jan 1, 1969

Some 15 years ago, Dr. Adolf Schmidt, director of the Magnetic Observatory in Potsdam, Germany, developed an instrument, which was a modification of Lloyds balance, for the measurement of the vertical component of the earth's magnetism in the field. There was a keen demand for this because (1) it was desirable to have a field instrument that would measure the component of the earth's magnetism which stands in the closest and simplest relation to the configuration of the subterranean magnetic formations-the vertical component; (2) it was desirable to have an instrument that was not only more sensitive but also more reliable than the existing vertical magnetometers (the dip needle, for instance). The application of the magnetometer in oil geology demanded such an instrument, because the magnetic disturbances produced by most types of magnetic formations associated with the occurrence of oil (salt domes, faults, anticlines with crystalline core, etc.) are too small to be detected with the ordinary dip needle. The writer can prove, by some investigations recently made for the U. S. Bureau of Mines, that these instruments may be used also to very great advantage in mining, because they are capable of measuring anomalies which are as great as twice the normal strength of the earth's magnetic field. Even for such anomalies, the field balance is more advantageous than the dip needle. First, the instrument rests on a firm support and can be adjusted in the proper azimuth, which insures measurement of the vertical intensity only, without a part of the horizontal intensity, which is very important for the interpretation. The readings give the vertical intensity in linear terms and not as a function of an angle; and the field balance is insensitive to temperature when used with scale values that are adequate for the determination of large anomalies. In another phase of mining, the gold placer work, the field balance has also shown excellent results for which the dip needle is not adequate. What has been said about the dip needle holds also, though to a lesser extent, for two other types of vertical variometers recently used, the Tiberg balance and the Thomson-Thalen magnetometer.

Jan 1, 1929

By Thomas V. Falkie

The use of operation research and computer techniques in the mineral industries continued to gain acceptance during 1966. There are generally at least five sources of information for researchers and practitioners in the field: (1) Technical periodicals like MINING ENGINEER- ING, Mining Congress Journal, etc. (2) Proceedings of the Symposium and Short Course on Computers and Operations Re- search in Mineral Industries, held last year at Penn. State University and jointly sponsored by the University of Arizona, Stanford University, Colorado School of Mines, Penn. State University and the Society of Mining Engineers of AIME. (3) Various local conferences, such as the 1966 Rocky Mountain Minerals Conference held in Denver. (4) United States Bureau of Mines publications. (5) The AIME annual meeting in New York and the SME Fall Meeting in Tampa.

Jan 2, 1967

US 4,134,618-Method for restoring an underground reservoir subsequent to the solution mining of an ore body of uranium, copper, nickel, vanadium, molybdenum, silver, rhenium, or selenium. Clean water a cycled through the mined area, via the injection and production wells used during mining, at a flow rate sufficient to entrain residual dissolved solids. The solids are separated at the surface and disposed of, e g., in a deep disposal well, while clarified water is recycled C A. Kossack, assigned to Atlantic Richfield Co. Jan 16, 1979 4 pp. (299-5) Filed. 12-29-77 (865,646) US 4,155,982-In situ leaching of a subterranean uranium ore deposit The ore is leached with a dilute aqueous solution of ammonium bicarbonate containing a small amount of hydrogen peroxide in order first to convert tetravalent uranium in the ore to the hexavalent state and second to dissolve the hexavalent uranium preferentially to the other metals or elements commonly occurring In such ore The uranium- enriched leach liquor IS brought to the surface, and the uranium recovered by means of adsorption on a particulate ion exchange resin, elution with an acid, and treatment with ammonia to precipitate relatively pure ammonium diuranate. G G. Hunkin, T P. Fife, and J R Stano, assigned to Wyoming Mineral Corp. May 22, 1979. 13 pp (423-7). Filed: 10- 9-74 (51 3,445). Same: Canadian 1,027,849, dated Mar. 14, 1978. US 4,157,847-In the mining of sulfur by the Frasch process hot water accumulating above subterranean sulfur from previous mining operations is recycled downward to contact and heat additional solid subterranean sulfur. Advantageously, pressurized and superheated drive water from above ground is commingled with the underground water to raise its temperature before it is recycled downward R. L Williams, R L Latiolais, J. L Gabriel, and R. L Bouis, assigned to Freeport Minerals Co June 12, 1979. 13 pp (299- 6) Filed 7-28-77 (81 9,879). US 4,158,76%1n this method for determining the uranium content of a solution obtained in the solution mining of an underground uranium ore deposit, the intensity of gamma radiation from the Th-234 daughter of U-238 emitted by the solution is determined as it impinges on a scintillator after being passed successively through filter foils of a ytterbium- tin alloy, a lutecium-tin alloy, and a hafnium-zirconium alloy This scintillation is evaluated as a measure of the uranium content To assure that the uranium-thorium conversion has reached a stable state, the measurement should be made about three months after the uranium solution has been produced R C Smith, assigned to Westinghouse Electric Corp. June 19, 1979 11 pp. (250-255). Filed. 10-20-77 (843,770).

Jan 1, 1980

By James D. McClung, H. J. Gluskoter, M. R. Geer

INTRODUCTION The purpose of coal preparation is to improve the quality of coal to make it suitable for a specific purpose by (1 ) cleaning to remove inorganic impurities; (2) sizing-crushing or screening, or both; or (3) special treatment, such as dedusting. The properties and quantities of impurities in coal are of major importance in the design and operation of steam generating equipment. Al- though boilers are often designed and equipped to use a wide range of coals, no boiler will perform equally well with all types of coals. All coals have certain properties that place limitations on their most advantageous use. These limitations are especially stringent for many of the older installations. Because of a general lowering of quality of raw coal in recent years, the need for coal cleaning has significantly increased. Among the factors contributing to the need for increased coal preparation are (1) increased demand for quality brought on by market and environmental requirements; (2) increased extraneous dilution caused by mine, health, and safety laws; and (3) depletion of the higher-quality coal seams.

Jan 1, 1979

By T. H. Aldrich

(San Francisco Meeting, October, 1911.) THERE are two conditions generally prevailing upon the earth-those within atmospheric influence, tending towards oxidation, and those away from atmospheric influence, tending towards reduction. Practically all mineral substances from mines of any depth are in a reducing condition. Since the cyanide process, in order to dissolve silver or gold, requires that the prevailing conditions under which it operates shall be oxidizing, and the materials usually acted upon being of a reducing character, it becomes necessary to supply oxygen to the solution carrying the cyanide. This oxygen is usually supplied through the medium of dissolved air in the solution, or through the medium of various chemical compounds, which upon combining with the solution or the ore give off a part of their oxygen. Strange as it may seem, practically all mineral substances are partly soluble in water, especially water carrying alkali or cyanide. The greater the surface exposed and the finer the material is ground, the greater will be the rate of dissolving of the reducing agents from the ore into the cyanide solution. In most cases, if the solution carrying the ore particles is agitated with air, the air will dissolve into the solution faster than will the reducing-agents; but in some cases the reducing-agents will dissolve more rapidly on account of easy solubility or greater surface exposed. It is a dissolving race between the oxygen from the air and the reducing-agents from the ore, and if the reducing-agents predominate, cyanide will not dissolve the gold from the ore. In many cases it will dissolve some of the gold, because in a mass of irregular shape some of the gold particles might be exposed upon the outside surface of a particle of rock;' but if the solution had to penetrate through cracks, the side-walls of which were lined with reducing-agent-

Feb 1, 1912

By R. J. Wagner, F. F. Craig, H. G. Riley, J. D. Griffith

Peripheral water injection has been underway in the Sholem Alechem Fault Block "A" Unit, Stephens County, Okla., since 1955. In the engineering planning of the flood, it was recognized that maintenance of pressure in the large, dry gas caps was vitally necessary to prevent the loss of an estimated 27 million bbl of oil through saturation of the gas caps by the oil banks moving updip on the peripheral flood pattern. The development of an abundant, low-cost water supply and the rising cost of makeup-gas purchases indicated that gas-cap control by water injection was desirable from an economic standpoint, provided an eflective water barrier could be placed without premature water breakthrough into downdip oil producers. A laboratory model scaled to the existing reservoir conditions was comtructed to evaluate the feasibility of gas-cap water injection. Model studies indicated that (I) water injected at the edge of the gar-oil contact would form a continuous barrier between the oil and gas zones, and (2) water would advance uniformly downdip without segregation due to gravity effects provided a specified, minimum water-injection rate was maintained. The model test results also indicated that it was not necessary to fill the gas cap completely with water. Water injection at the edge of one of the gas caps was initiated in March, 1958, to field test gas-cap water injection. Water breakthrough occurred at a downstruc-ture producing well in April, 1959, after approximately 2.5 million bbl of water had been injected into the gas cap. This was the volume calculated to be required to form the barrier between the oil zone and gas cap. This performance indicates that prevention of oil encroachment into dry gas caps in a peripheral water flood by water injection at the gas-oil contact appears practical and that the model studies provided a valid prediction of field performance. INTRODUCTION The Sholem Alechem Fault Block "A" Sims Sand Unit was one of the fist major waterflood projects in Oklahoma to utilize a peripheral injection pattern. Design of control measures to minimize oil encroachment into the large crestal gas caps was one of the greatest single problems during engineering planning of this flood. Engineering studies indicated that saturation of the gas caps with oil displaced by the peripheral water flood could result in a loss of about 27 million bbl of oil, or over one-half the estimated waterflood recovery. This estimate was based on a residual oil saturation after water flooding of 35 per cent pore volume, compared to the negligible oil saturation initially in the gas caps. The Sholem Alechem Springer field, located in Stephens County, Okla., is an elongated anticline with structural dips varying from 400 to 1,000 ft/mile. The structure contains numerous faults, some of which are sealing. The portion of the field considered in this paper is Fault Block "A", which is the largest of the five major fault segments in the field. A map of the unit is shown on Fig. 1. The unit is bounded on the east and west by major sealing faults, on the north by a water-oil contact and to the south by a deterioration of sand development. Two domes, each having gas caps, exist in the unit and are separated by a north-south fault as shown in Fig. 1. The sands being flooded are the Sims sand members of the Springer series of early Pennsylvanian age. The Sims sands average over 100 ft in thickness in Fault Block "A" and have a porosity of approximately 19 per cent. Core permeabilities average 160 md, with interstitial water saturation of about 23 per cent pore volume. Three different zones can be correlated over most of the area. However, they are commingled in most of the producing wells. The two upper zones, designated as First and Second Sims, are the most important. Both the First and Second Sims have gas caps in the east dome, while only the First Sims has a gas cap in the west dome. These gas caps, whose limits are also shown on Fig. 1, initially occupied nearly 11 per cent of the total reservoir volume. The major concern of this paper is the control of the two gas caps in the First Sims sand. Fig. 2 is a cross section, to scale, across the east dome of this formation. Notable features are the relatively shallow dip, the deterioration of the First Sims sand on the south side of the gas cap and the water-oil contact on the northern edge. The formation dip at the gas-oil contact in this cross section is approximately 5".