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By Arthur Smith

THE Verde mining district is in Yavapai County, in north-central Arizona. Jerome, the principal town, has a population of 6000 and the two important mines of the district-the United Verde and the United Verde Extension-lie almost within its limits. Perched high on the southwest side of the Verde valley, at elevations of 4800 and 5500 ft. (1463 and 1676 m.) respectively, both mines have long tunnels from their lower levels through which the ore is hauled to the smelters. Clarkdale, the smelter town for the United Verde mines, lies in the Verde valley 4.1 miles (6.5 km.) distant in an air line from Jerome and at an elevation of 3560 ft. The two towns are connected by the standard-gage railroad of the Verde Tunnel and Smelter R. R., a subsidiary of the United Verde Copper Co. This road is 11 miles long and has a compensated grade of 4 per cent. At Clarkdale it connects with the Verde valley branch of the Santa Fe railroad. Clemenceau, the smelter town for the United Verde Extension mine, lies 3.5 miles (5.8 km.) in a southeasterly direction from Clarkdale, at an elevation of 3420 ft. It is connected to the Verde Valley branch of the Santa Fe railroad at Clarkdale by the Arizona Extension R. R., . a subsidiary of the United Verde Extension Mining Co. The portal of the haulage tunnel, at an elevation of 3757.5 ft., is also connected with the smelter town by 4 miles of standard-gage track belonging to? the same company. In the vicinity of Jerome, the great southern escarpment of the Arizona plateau forms the northeast side of the Verde valley. The general level of this escarpment, or "rim" as it is called, is about 4000 ft. above the Verde River. A corresponding elevation is reached only by the highest peaks of the Black Hills, which bound the valley to the southwest. Two lava-capped mesas, known as "Mingus" and "Wood chute mountains," form the culmination of the Black Hills. That part of the Old Black Hills mining district which lies between their crests and the Verde River is now known as the Jerome, or Verde, mining district. If the . smelter towns are not included, a strip about 7 miles long by 3 miles (11 by 5 km.) wide, embraces practically all of the properties belonging to the Jerome district. This strip lies parallel to and along the side of the Verde valley from First View, 2 miles northwest from Jerome, to the vicinity of Allen Springs, at the south end of Mingus mountain and all within the boundaries of the Prescott national forest reserve.

Jan 3, 1924

By A. B. Kinzel

Precise knowledge regarding the effect of heat treatment on the properties of steel has made possible the detailed specifications and instructions covering optimum heat-treating temperatures and practices that are in current use. A distinct contrast is presented by the metallurgical treatment of steel adjacent to a fusion weld, as such steel is subjected to each temperature from room temperature to fusion temperature, and cooled at a rate that is not generally controllable but is predetermined by the nature of the assembly to be welded, the kind of welding used, and the surrounding conditions. This is true regardless of the type of fusion welding: oxyacetylene, electric arc, thermit or flash resistance. Therefore it seemed desirable to investigate the effect of this metallurgical treatment on the characteristics of carbon steels commonly used for welding, by a detailed study of metal subjected to each temperature range; i.e., each heat-affected zone. Oxyacetylene welding was chosen for the investigation because of the experimental facility of accurately segregating and studying each temperature zone. The nature of the zones produced by other types of welding is the same. The difference is primarily a matter of dimensions of each of the temperature zones involved. The advantages and disadvantages of the extent of the zone are of prime moment, and are discussed after the presentation of the detailed zone study. No mention is made of the fused metal proper, as this has been the subject of much published research and the nature of the solidified metal is fairly .ell known. General Method The scheme of procedure in the work herein reported involved the testing of the metal of each temperature zone adjacent to the weld in so

Jan 1, 1935

By A. B. Kinzel

Precise knowledge regarding the effect of heat treatment on the properties of steel has made possible the detailed specifications and instructions covering optimum heat-treating temperatures and practices that are in current use. A distinct contrast is presented by the metallurgical treatment of steel adjacent to a fusion weld, as such steel is subjected to each temperature from room temperature to fusion temperature, and cooled at a rate that is not generally controllable but is predetermined by the nature of the assembly to be welded, the kind of welding used, and the surrounding conditions. This is true regardless of the type of fusion welding: oxyacetylene, electric arc, thermit or flash resistance. Therefore it seemed desirable to investigate the effect of this metallurgical treatment on the characteristics of carbon steels commonly used for welding, by a detailed study of metal subjected to each temperature range; i.e., each heat-affected zone. Oxyacetylene welding was chosen for the investigation because of the experimental facility of accurately segregating and studying each temperature zone. The nature of the zones produced by other types of welding is the same. The difference is primarily a matter of dimensions of each of the temperature zones involved. The advantages and disadvantages of the extent of the zone are of prime moment, and are discussed after the presentation of the detailed zone study. No mention is made of the fused metal proper, as this has been the subject of much published research and the nature of the solidified metal is fairly .ell known. General Method The scheme of procedure in the work herein reported involved the testing of the metal of each temperature zone adjacent to the weld in so

Jan 1, 1935

The Library of the above-named Societies is open from 9 A. M. to 10 P. M. except on holidays. It contains about 70,000 volumes and 90,000 pamphlets, including sets of technical periodicals and publications of scientific and technical societies. Members of the Institute, with few exceptions are forced to spend a portion of their time in localities isolated from sources of information. To these the Library; through its Library Service Bureau, can render valuable service through correspondence; letters requesting information will receive especial attention: The Library is prepared, to furnish references and photographic copies of articles on mining and metallurgical subjects; to determine the existence of mining maps, and to furnish general Information on the geology and mineral resources of-all countries. All communications should be made as definite as possible so that the information received may be what is desired and not include collateral matter which may not be of interest. The time spent in searching for such collateral matter will be saved, and the information will be sent more promptly and in more usable shape. HARRISON W. CRAVER, Director.

Jan 4, 1919

By Donald A. Brobst

The minerals barite (BaSO4) and witherite (BaCO3) are the chief sources of the element barium and its compounds needed for many industrial processes and products. Barite, the principal ore mineral, is found the world over and is abundant and widely distributed throughout the United States.3 Witherite is much less common than barite, though more desirable in many ways as a raw material for the production of barium chemicals. England is the chief producer of witherite. Witherite is not mined in the United States at the present time, but it has been mined with barite from a deposit at El Portal, California. Barite is also called barytes, tiff, cawk, or heavy spar. Ordinarily it is a heavy mineral that crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. It is colorless, white, or gray, and transparent to opaque. In some deposits barite is black, yellow, brown, red, green, or blue because of included impurities. The streak is white and the luster vitreous to resinous or pearly. The specific gravity of pure barite (65.7 pct BaO and 34.3 pct SO3) is calculated to be 4.5, but inclusions and impurities in natural barite may reduce this value considerably. Well-formed crystals are generally tabular and have three cleavages. The barite of many deposits, however, has an uneven fracture and an apparent cleavage caused by separation along planes between successively deposited layers. The hardness is 2.5 to 3.5 on Mohs' scale. Commercially the terms "hard" and "soft" are used to refer to ease of grinding. Barite is relatively insoluble in water and acid, and thus can be used as a chemically inert material. Witherite, the natural carbonate of barium (77.7 pct BaO and 22.3 pct CO2), crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. The fracture is uneven and the luster is vitreous to resinous. The hardness is 3 to 3.5. The specific gravity of the pure mineral is calculated to be 4.29. It is transparent to opaque. The color is ordinarily white, gray, yellow, brown, or green. Geology and Distribution of Deposits Workable deposits of barite are widely distributed throughout the world in many geologic environments in sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. Most deposits can be classified into three main types: (1) vein and cavityfilling deposits; (2) bedded deposits; and (3) residual deposits. 1. Vein and cavity-filling deposits are those in which barite and associated minerals occur along faults, gashes, joints, and bedding planes, and in breccia zones and solution channels. They also occur in various collapse and sink structures in limestone. Sharp contacts of the veins and cavity fillings with wall rocks are common. Barite cements fault and collapse breccia by replacement of the matrix or by filling voids. Large-scale replacement of the wall rocks beyond ore-controlling structures is rare. Barite in vein and cavity filling deposits is generally dense, "hard," and white to gray. Associated minerals are fluorite, calcite, ankerite, dolomite, quartz, and many sulfide minerals, especially pyrite, chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite. Gold, silver, and rare earth minerals occur with barite in some deposits in the western United States. Barite is also a gangue mineral in metallic ore deposits but production as a byproduct from such deposits will be affected by many economic factors. The host rocks are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks of pre-Cambrian to

Jan 1, 1960

By R. S. Shoemaker, F. W. McQuiston

ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN CYANIDATION PLANT PRACTICES Ecological controls of tailing storage pond effluents are mainly concerned with mercury and residual cyanide and are critical problems for gold and silver recovery plant operators. For example, mercury for direct amalgamation of gold ore was used at Homestake until 1970 when the Federal Government acted to prevent further use thereby forcing the abandonment of this practice. However, mercury is still used at Homestake, in South Africa, and also in some Philippine and Canadian cyanide plants for barrel amalgamation of free gold gravity concentrates. The amount of mercury involved in South African practice is about 150 ounces for every 100,000 tons of ore milled and which reaches the tailings ponds. In South Africa, it is obligatory that no pond effluent be discharged beyond the mining property boundaries and waters containing mercury and cyanide must be evaporated either on the tailings pond or in specially constructed evaporation dams. In some cyanide plants such as Carlin and Cortez in the United States, all supernatant solution from the tailings ponds are returned to the plant for reuse. When all solution cannot be reused, the excess may be evaporated in shallow ponds, or by spray systems inside of the tailings dam. Such plant reuse of tailings effluent depends strictly upon the degree of contamination or "fouling" of the barren solution and tailing water with cyanicides. Foul solutions that cannot be returned from the tailings pond may be effectively cleaned up by cyanide regeneration. Cyanogens in plant solutions exist chiefly as free alkali cyanides, as zinc and copper double cyanides, as sulphocyanides, and as ferrocyanides. From the free cyanides and zinc double cyanides, substantially complete recovery of the cyanogen is easily effected. Part of the cyanogen combined with copper is also recovered; regeneration of the remainder with the cyanogen existing as sulphocyanide and ferrocyanides requires special treatment. At this stage, it would be generally more practical to eliminate the remaining cyanogen by chlorination. Ecologists have also been concerned with pollution of ground waters from cyanidation plant tailings. An accute problem is solution seepage down stream from tailings dams and strict attention to prevent or collect any seepage is a real necessity. The tolerance levels of the total cyanide content in potable water set by several U. S. and State health agencies are 10 ppb, and 20 ppb discharged into ground waters. The cyanide content so established is, strangely enough, based on the survival tolerance of fingerling trout. Decanted waste water from tailings dams may be effectively treated by the use of alkaline chlorination for the purpose of destroying all cyanide compounds. The alkaline hypochlorite used to oxidize the cyanide to cyanate is applied as such or generated within the waste solution by adding caustic (NaOH) and chlorine gas. A second chemical reaction involves complete destruction of the sodium cyanate.

Jan 1, 1975

By Walter V. Knopp, Laurence Delisle

INTRODUCTION THE aim of this work was the preparation of nickel-steels from elemental metal powders by powder metallurgy techniques. It was known that plain carbon steels could be made from a mixture of iron powder and graphite and that the effect of carbon on iron in powder form was of the same nature as that produced in fusion metallurgy. The problem in making nickel steels from elemental powders consisted therefore in finding out whether sufficient diffusion of the nickel and other incidental metals normally present in such steels could be induced in the solid state to modify the properties of plain carbon steels made from powders and produce the beneficial effect of alloying. The composition selected originally was that of an S.A.E. 2330 steel. Metal powders, in the proportion corresponding to that composition, were mixed with graphite, pressed, and heated at different temperatures for different periods of time, to produce bonding of the metal particles and mutual diffusion of the various elements without melting. Temperatures up to 1325°C and sintering periods as long as 6 hr were first investigated because it was expected that such conditions would produce maximum diffusion with an accompanying improvement in the properties of the alloy. It was found that, although diffusion proceeded to a large extent under the conditions investigated, it would not be complete unless sintering were carried out at a high temperature for much longer than 6 hr. Relatively high temperatures and long sintering times are objectionable from a practical point of view, particularly when a low cost material is to be produced, because they necessitate the use of special, costly equipment. Work could be done to improve the diffusion of iron and nickel by changing conditions other than the sintering temperature and time, i.e., finer primary or alloy powders could be used. However, a marked change in the properties of the steel had been observed even with only partial diffusion. It was thought, therefore, that instead of trying to improve the diffusion, advantage might be taken of its incompleteness to produce a special structure consisting, in the unquenched condition, of a hard constituent, rich in nickel, dispersed in a tough pearlitic matrix. Steels with such a structure, not readily obtainable by fusion, should have desirable mechanical properties. Besides, it should be possible to prepare them from elemental powders under economical conditions. This latter alternative was therefore adopted for the second phase of this work. This report is divided into four parts: 1. General Procedure. 2. Effect of Sintering Temperature. 3. Effect of Varying the Nickel Content. 4. Effect of Alloying Elements. GENERAL PROCEDURE The general technique of cold pressing as used in powder metallurgy was applied.

Jan 1, 1948

By Lawrence Adler

For openings in bedded rocks, analyzed by simple beam theory, it has been shown that roof loads can be shifted from one support to another.' This transfer is effected by controlling the relative deflection of adjacent supports. If this action is used to reduce loads in the props or bolts and increase them in the ribs or pillars, it could be productive of economies averaging 30 pct. Such savings can be realized by: 1) using smaller artifical supports such as props and bolts, and 2) increasing loads in the rib to induce eventual failure for longwall caving. Since the rib is relatively load-insensitive, it provides a natural load sink. However, caution must be used in applying such permissive deflections, for while the supports are being handled properly, the stresses in the roof itself are very sensitive to such manipulations.'

Jan 5, 1960

Note Any member who desires to be designated as being "Available for Consulting Work" can arrange it simply by sending a written request to the office of the Secretary of the Institute The following list of members is primarily arranged geographically, with secondary consideration to political subdivisions arranged alphabetically First, the states of the United States , then other North America, in order Alaska, Canada, Mexico, the West Indies, and Central America Then cones South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, each including the near by islands associated with those continents Australia, the islands to the north, and the Pacific islands except Japan are grouped together under Oceania The various countries are indexed on the preceding page NORTH AMERICA UNITED STATES ALABAMA America -Dyar, G C Anniston -DePriest, S H Klugh, B G Lefforge, J W Auburn Poor, R S Bankhead -Armstrong, W D Bessemer -Beck, A IV, Jr Carnes, D Chabot, L S , Jr Creveling, J C

Jan 1, 1952

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 S. H. Ash

More than 100 minerals are mined and processed in the U. S. Management and labor have negotiated wage-scale agreements that have balanced wages and affected cost of labor in such a manner that comparisons can be made of transportation costs. Transportation of materials underground has become of vital importance. This report describes underground haulage methods and equipment, presents cost analyses, and discusses future plans for underground transportation in metal mines. It does not cover hoisting in shafts or slopes by cage, skip, or cars. Advancements have been made by the metal mining industry in lowering transportation costs in several mines, making it possible to mine orebodies or portions of orebodies not considered economically recoverable a few years ago. Numerous reports have been written on transportation at metal mines; this report covers recent haulage at some representative mines throughout the U.S. The term metal mine is used to include all noncoal mines from which up-to-date information was obtainable.

Sep 1, 1956

By Albert Sauveur

IT WAS in June, 1889, that I was first admitted to the society of educated men. The admission ticket had been signed, on the recommendation of my old and beloved teacher, Bobby Richards, by General Francis A. Walker at the time President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an institution familiarly known as M. I. T. I immediately proceeded to take advantage of that privilege by departing for Steelton, Pennsylvania, where I understood I was eagerly awaited by the educated officials of the Pennsylvania Steel Company. I was some. what disappointed at the casualness of my reception and at being tucked away in that preserve closet of steel works known as the chemical laboratory. At Steelton I met Major Bent who was president of the company. When I say "met," that is a figure of speech as my acquaintance with him was confined to my being shown

Jan 1, 1937

By B. M. Larsen, W. E. Shenk

This paper describes a method of reversal control of the open-hearth furnace that obtains in practice those effects considered below as essential to a completely automatic control, without appreciable interference with the natural rise and fall in temperature of the regenerative portions of the furnace system. Growing out of some studies of radiation pyrometry in open-hearth regenerators, it was developed during 1934-1938, and has been successfully applied to a number of commercial furnaces. The goal of open-hearth furnace operation is the highest rate of production of steel of proper quality consistent with good refractory life and fuel economy. This requires rapid heat transfer from furnace to charge, which in turn is dependent upon heating the furnace refractories to the highest safe operating temperature. The greater the heat input to the melting chamber, the sooner this limiting temperature will be reached, so that control methods in general that are designed to protect against overheating of refractories should help to maintain maximum fuel input and production rate. For the typical open-hearth system, with fixed regenerator capacity and with rate of fuel input usually restricted in its range of variation, our basic assumption is the idea that the only other important variable —that is, the time interval between successive reversals—should also be held constant or within a small range. The present reversal control was designed therefore so that, under normal operating conditions, no arbitrary limitation is imposed other than to keep the reversal interval within the optimum time range. However, since a near approach to completely automatic operation involves protection of refractories through the balancing of furnace end temperatures as well as emergency protection against temperature peaks above some upper limit, it was also felt essential to employ, as an integral part of the control unit, a temperature-measuring instrument to register the true temperature of the refractory surfaces at some critical region in the hot ends of the regenerative zones. As the basic elements of the control, we thus have one "maximum" and one lLminimum" time relay and a potentiometer recorder-controller, combined with switches and relays to operate as follows: I. Reversal normally occurs within an optimum range limited by the maximum and minimum settings to about 4 to 6 min. variation, but the actual interval usually is less variable and closer to the minimum setting. 2. The margin between minimum and maximum time is utilized, together with a "floating temperature limit" in the potenti-ometric control instrument, to correct any tendency toward temperature unbalance between ends of the furnace. 3. A second "maximum temperature

Jan 1, 1945

By Richard Moldenke

The paper describes the making of pig iron from the Mayari iron ores of Cuba. The outstanding feature f this pig iron is a considerable content f nickel and chromium. As a marked improvement in the quality of castings has been noted when this iron is used in the foundry mixtures, a series f melting tests f mixtures of great variety of composition was conducted with the idea f getting comparative strengths from which the effect of nickel¬chromium could be seen. These tests, on account of their number, and degree of accuracy desired, were made by the crucible melting method. The paper gives the tables of results, a series f curves showing the inter-relation of the elements involved, and a summary of the conclusions derived. THE presence of nickel-chromium in pig iron made from Cuban ores is so well known that the word "Mayan" is unconsciously associated with it. Since 1904, when exploration of the Mayari deposits of iron ore in northeastern Cuba was undertaken, there has been increasing interest in these ores. The TRANSACTIONS contain numerous references to them. This iron ore, which is shipped to the. United States in the nodulized state, has been thoroughly tested and found very valuable; the deposit covers over 25,000 acres and there is in sight over 500,000,000 tons of ore that, by systematic mining, runs practically constant in composition. With nickel and chromium present, also titanium in sufficient quantities to attract attention, as well as extremely low phosphorus and sulfur contents, the iron founder is naturally interested in the utilization of Mayari ore for pig iron for the better grades of finished iron products. The present point of consumption of Mayari ore is at Sparrow's Point, where Mayari pig iron of any desired composition is made. The com-

Jan 9, 1922

By Philip S. Mathews

THE tremendous stimulus given to the mining industry by the gold and silver policy of the present administration has found the capital market for mines ill prepared to afford practical means of financing. Particularly has this been true of the host of abandoned high-cost producers and prospects which increased gold and silver prices have made potentially profitable. In a comparatively short time, experience has demonstrated abundantly that valuable properties have frequently failed to secure capital, while questionable properties have drawn to themselves and their promoters more of the public moneys than their prospects justify. Singularly enough the fault is usually attributable to faulty financing. Discussion and study of this problem are vital to the industry.

Jan 1, 1936

By J. T. Eash, N. B. Pilling

As a group, the alloys of iron, nickel and carbon are, in application, one of the most versatile of the ferrous alloy family, and while many investigations have been made of their properties and structure only a few attempts have been made to show the microstructural relation over a wide range of composition. It is neccssary at once to be clear about the kind of structural relation with which we are concerned. The equilibrium diagram provides quantitative data regarding structural make-up and its variation with temperature, but equilibrium structures often are far different from the technologically significant ones. This is particularly true of steels and cast irons, and some of the most important cornponents of their structure may have no place in the diagram of equilibrium. The fugitive phases that result from transFormation are dealt with in a highly detailed and descriptive manner in. the S-curves originated by Bain. The present effort lies in a still different field, which is to portray the relation between sweeping changes in composition and in resultant structure, under controlled but nonequilib-rium conditions of thermal treatment. The Guilletl diagram presented in 1903 was the initial attempt at such a correlation and frequent references to this diagram can be found in the literature even though later work has shown it to require considerable modification. Kase2 published in 1925 a diagram that was based upon observations of furnace-cooled melts: At low carbon contents this diagram agreed fairly well with experience in showing pearlite to exist in alloys containing up to 6 per cent nickel, and completely austenitic steels at 24 to 28 per cent nickel. At high carbon contents, however, irons were indicated as being martensitic at around 2 per cent nickel and austenitic at 12 per cent nickel; these interpretations are open to serious question. Based upon experience with steels and cast iron, Wickenden3 suggested a diagram that agreed fairly well with Kase's in the steel range but which presented a wide departure from it in the higher-carbon, high-nickel regions. In its broad picture, the Wickenden diagram is an approach to "practical" structures. Reference may be made at this point to the efforts of Marsh5 to construct an iron-nickel-carbon equilibrium diagram by the coordination of scattered data, which are described at length in the monograph cited. None of these preceding attempts has appeared to meet the need for an exposition of the structural sequence that is encountered in traversing the nickel-steel nickel-cast-iron range under what might be called ordinary departures from equilibrium. ExperimentaT. Conditions Since the intent has been to establish structures developed under arbitrary conditions, experimental details have perhaps more than usual importance. Three of these conditions should particularly be noticed: (I) the material was cast and not subjected

Jan 1, 1942

By J. T. Eash, N. B. Pilling

As a group, the alloys of iron, nickel and carbon are, in application, one of the most versatile of the ferrous alloy family, and while many investigations have been made of their properties and structure only a few attempts have been made to show the microstructural relation over a wide range of composition. It is neccssary at once to be clear about the kind of structural relation with which we are concerned. The equilibrium diagram provides quantitative data regarding structural make-up and its variation with temperature, but equilibrium structures often are far different from the technologically significant ones. This is particularly true of steels and cast irons, and some of the most important cornponents of their structure may have no place in the diagram of equilibrium. The fugitive phases that result from transFormation are dealt with in a highly detailed and descriptive manner in. the S-curves originated by Bain. The present effort lies in a still different field, which is to portray the relation between sweeping changes in composition and in resultant structure, under controlled but nonequilib-rium conditions of thermal treatment. The Guilletl diagram presented in 1903 was the initial attempt at such a correlation and frequent references to this diagram can be found in the literature even though later work has shown it to require considerable modification. Kase2 published in 1925 a diagram that was based upon observations of furnace-cooled melts: At low carbon contents this diagram agreed fairly well with experience in showing pearlite to exist in alloys containing up to 6 per cent nickel, and completely austenitic steels at 24 to 28 per cent nickel. At high carbon contents, however, irons were indicated as being martensitic at around 2 per cent nickel and austenitic at 12 per cent nickel; these interpretations are open to serious question. Based upon experience with steels and cast iron, Wickenden3 suggested a diagram that agreed fairly well with Kase's in the steel range but which presented a wide departure from it in the higher-carbon, high-nickel regions. In its broad picture, the Wickenden diagram is an approach to "practical" structures. Reference may be made at this point to the efforts of Marsh5 to construct an iron-nickel-carbon equilibrium diagram by the coordination of scattered data, which are described at length in the monograph cited. None of these preceding attempts has appeared to meet the need for an exposition of the structural sequence that is encountered in traversing the nickel-steel nickel-cast-iron range under what might be called ordinary departures from equilibrium. ExperimentaT. Conditions Since the intent has been to establish structures developed under arbitrary conditions, experimental details have perhaps more than usual importance. Three of these conditions should particularly be noticed: (I) the material was cast and not subjected

Jan 1, 1942

By W. J. Joslin

The frontal-advance equation can determine how the fluid withdrawal rate and subsurface operating pressure influence oil recovery from pressure-maintained reservoirs having characteristics favorable for efficient vertical segregation. For effective vertical segregation in formations having low dip angles, the requirements are: thick, massive sands, low viscosity oil and high vertical permeability with few discontinuous shale members. This approach has been successfully applied to the LL-370, which is a massive Eocene sandstone reservoir containing crude with an average gravity of 26" APT, a dip of only 3" and vertical permeability of ½ darcy. The average gas cap saturation was calculated for various rates of vertical gas-oil contact movement corresponding to a wide range of reservoir producing rates. This method also evaluated the effect of different pressure maintenance levels on oil recovery. Applicability of this procedure for calculating the present oil saturation in the LL-370 gas cap has been substantiated from field performance, where the oil saturation was computed by comparing oil recovery with the gas cap volume vacated. INTRODUCTION During the natural depletion history of the LL-370 reservoir, located in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, excellent vertical segregation resulted in the formation of a thin gas zone over a substantial portion of the oil-productive area. Subsequently, gas injection forced this thin gas-saturated zone slowly downward, reducing the oil saturation in the gas cap to a low value. The oil recovery has been raised considerably above earlier predictions where vertical segregation effects were under-estimated. In order to determine the maximum efficient producing rate and optimum operating pressure for this reservoir, a vertical gas frontal-advance analysis has been made through application of the fractional flow equation. LL-370 RESERVOIR CHARACTERISTICS The reservoir consists of a truncated monocline of massive. highly-permeable Eocene sandstone, called the B-b formation, covering an area of more than 13,500 acres. The original oil in place was 2.17 billion STB. Internal non-sealing faults subdivide the structure into four blocks called the B-6-x.6, 10, 11 and 13, which are effectively bounded by major faulting on the flanks, an unconformity updip to the west, and an immobile aquifer to the southeast. The producing formation occurs at an average depth of 5,250 ft subsea and has a closure of more than 1,500 ft. A typical producing section has a net oil sand thickness of 170 ft. Scattered throughout the section are a few randomly-positioned shale lenses which increase in thickness and areal extent downdip. The reservoir rock and fluid properties vary with depth. The permeability and produced oil gravity are 1600 md and 28" API at the top, compared to 300 md and 18° API at the water-oil contact. The productivity of updip wells is, therefore, much higher than the reservoir average. The reservoir oil was originally saturated at the crest, grading to a slight degree of undersaturation at the water-oil contact. There was no original gas cap; and material balance and the field performance indicate no water influx. Except for the northern B-6-x.6 block, the fluid and rock properties have already been published.' Average LL-370 reservoir properties are shown in Table 1. RESERVOIR PERFORMANCE UNDER NATURAL DEPLETION Fig. 1 shows production performance from 1939 to date. Early development was gradual, with 30 wells pro-

Jan 1, 1965

By A. L. Engel

STRICTLY speaking, ore-dressing does not commence until after the ore is in the mill bins, but where complex ores are treated and their minerals separated to make the best commercial concentrate with the lowest economical tailing, ore-dressing problems begin and often center in the mine itself. This does not refer to the grade of the ore, but rather to the frequent condition in which metallurgical results radically different from customary are obtained because of changes in the character of the ore treated. Different varieties of ore can usually be identified as coming from well-defined depths or zones in the mine, or from known sections of the orebody. Varying degrees of alteration of the ore, inclusions of harmful gangue material, or variations in the quantities of component metallic minerals are often causes of temporarily bad metallurgical results in otherwise successfully operated plants, especially those employing differential flotation to. recover several valuable minerals contained in the ore.

Jan 1, 1931

INTRODUCTION TO PROBABILITY THEORY The mathematical theory of probability provides the foundation for the interpretations and inferences that can be made from statistical techniques. Probability theory is a broad field of study in itself, and can only be touched on here in order to provide the necessary back- ground for a more complete understanding of statistical analysis. Probability is concerned with the outcome of random events. It had its beginnings in the theory of games of chance which were of great interest to European mathematicians during the last half of the 17th century. The outcome of a random process or experiment is defined as an event. The collection of all mathematical points associated with each event is called the sample space for an experiment. Consider a random experiment having a finite number, n, of possible outcomes, some of which have a characteristic A. What is the probability that A will result from a single

Jan 1, 1980