Search Documents

By Franklin Bache

THERE seems to be in the public mind, and even in the minds of some coal-operators not experienced in mines subject to dust-explosions, a feeling that there has been something mysterious at the bottom of a number of recent American colliery-explosions. It has been declared in cases of accidents in mines regarded as particularly well equipped, in which every preventive precaution was said to have been taken, that the explosions were incomprehensible, and resulted from causes beyond the present knowledge of the practical coal-operator. But it is safe to say that no explosion has taken place which could not be explained by reasons well understood by most operators. The LT. S. Geological Survey Test Laboratory, recently inaugurated at Pittsburg for the reported purpose of investigating scientifically the matter of explosions in mines, will discover no new explanation of explosions. It call, however, co-ordinate the previous investigations of similar boards in England and on the Continent; and it may do a vast amount of good by promulgating widely, and in a form comprehensible by the most unlettered miner, certain facts and obvious deductions that cannot but have an effect in reducing the number and extent of the mine-disasters which, in the last few years, have been so terrible in frequency and magnitude. The only possible sources of explosions of any magnitude in coal-mines are : (1) explosives stored in quantity in the mine; (2) gases generated or liberated in the mine; and (3) coal-dust. Combinations of any of the three may, of course, take part in the result. The danger of any great loss of life from stored explosives alone is very remote. The simplest ordinary precaution forbids the presence, in one place underground, of any considerable quantity of explosives, and it would require an

Aug 1, 1909

By K. E. Starling

Phase equilibria data were used to develop an equation-of-state correlation for complex hydrocarbon mixtures, thereby circumventing difficulties associated with use of pressure-volume-temperature data. Equilibrium phase data for two condensate reservoir fluids were used to determine equation-of-state parameters for hydrocarbons as heavy as C22H46 in a modified form of the Benedict-Webb-Rubin equation of state. Comparative tests of K-values from the resultant correlation were made with data for condensate reservoir, separator and gas plant absorber mixtures. Generally, for temperatures above OF and computed liquid densities below 0.55 Ib-mole/cu ft, the modified BIVR equation predicted K-values in close agreement with the experimental data. INTRODUCTION Accurate predictions of thermodynamic behavior for complex hydrocarbon mixtures are necessary for many calculations in the petroleum industry. Because of the relatively high cost of extensive experimental data, many correlations for prediction of phase behavior have been developed. Some of these, such as the correlation of K-values presented in the NGAA Equilibrium Ratio Data Book, are totally empirical.l Others, such as the Benedict-Webb-Rubin (BWR) equation-of-state method, are semitheoretical.2-4 Unfortunately, published correlation methods often do not accurately predict the phase behavior of complex hydrocarbon mixtures, principally because of inadequate representation of the effects of components heavier than decane. This paper presents a new approach to this problem in which basic equation-of-state relations including heavy hydrocarbon effects are applied. Equilibrium phase data for two condensate reservoir fluids containing hydrocarbons as heavy as C22H46 are used to correlate component K-values. The BWR equation was chosen as the prototype equation of state for this study because of its proven capability for accurately predicting phase behavior and thermodynamic properties of light - hydrocarbon mixtures? Research was directed toward development of BWR parameters for the heavy hydrocarbons and modifications of the mathematical form of the BWR equation for application to complex hydrocarbon mixtures. The new equation-of-state approach presented differs considerably from previous methods in that phase equilibria rather than PVT data are used for determination of equation-of-state parameters. It is an explicit approach since the parameters are determined directly from mixture data. As such, it does not encounter problems inherent in the implicit method used by Benedict, Webb and Rubin 2-4 and numerous other investigators—one in which mixture parameters were postulated to be functions of the pure component parameters. The pure component BWR parameters, in turn, were determined from experimental PVT data. This method has been limited to mixtures containing components lighter than decane because of lack of vapor phase PVT data. Studies have been reported in which BWR parameters have been determined explicitly from PVT data for binary mixtures.6-8 However, since small concentrations of heavier components have only a minor effect on PVT behavior, it is doubtful that these explicit methods would yield useful results for condensate systems. Ellington and Eakin9 have shown that the accuracy of K-values predicted by an equation of state developed from mixture PVT data probably would be more than an order of magnitude lower than the accuracy of the PVT data. On the other hand, an equation of state utilizing parameters developed from phase equilibria data should predict K-values with accuracy comparable to the accuracy of the experimental phase compositions. This work applies this explicit approach with the objective of improving hydrocarbon mixture phase behavior predictions. Results are evaluated by comparing predicted and experimental K-values at reservoir, separator and gas plant

Jan 1, 1967

By Paul Berggreen

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS In the Bibliography titles of publications are replaced by corresponding symbols in this list. American A-1. Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, New York. A-2. Journal of the New York Microscopical Society, New York. A-3. Journal of the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pa. A-4. The Metallographist, Boston, Mass. A-5. The Electrochemical and Metallurgical Industry, New York. A-6. Bulletin of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, New York. A-7. The Iron Trade Review, Cleveland, Ohio. A-8. The Journal of Physical Chemistry, Ithaca, N. Y. A-9. The Physical Review, New York. A-10. Van Nostrand's Electric Engineering Magazine, New York. English E-1. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London. E-2. Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute, London. E3. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, London. E-4. Journal of the Chemical Society of London, London. E-5. Philosophical Magazine, London. E-6. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Edinburgh., E7. Carnegie Scholarship Memoirs, London. E-8. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, London. E-9. Chemical News, London. E-10. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London,, London. E-11. Transactions of the North-East Coast Institution of Engineers and Shipbuilders, Newcastle-on-Tyne E-12. Iron, London. E-13. Nature, London. E14. English Mechanic and World of Science, London.

Jan 6, 1914

By R. J. Schilthuis, T. V. Moore

In a previous paper,' the results of some experimental work on the measurement of slippage in the flow of oil and gas mixtures through vertical pipes were presented. The data obtained were correlated and equations were deduced from which the performance of the experimental gas-lift could be predicted with reasonable accuracy. However, attempts to apply the equations to the calculation of pressure drops in actual flowing wells yielded erroneous results. At the time the results of the experimental work were published, no satisfactory explanation could be offered for the failure of the empirical equations to express properly the performance of wells. However, recent work has led to the development of a new hypothesis which presupposes certain conditions affecting the flow of oil and gas in wells. When the proposed equations are corrected to allow for these conditions, an agreement between the observed and calculated performance of the actual wells is obtained which in most cases is quite satisfactory, although it is subject to certain limitations. In this paper, the method of calculating the pressure drop in actual wells is considered, and the application of the method to the design of tubing is discussed. (For nomenclature used in this discussion, see Table 1.) Factors Affecting Slippage and Efficiency At the outset, a few of the principle factors affecting slippage and efficiency in the gas-lift discussed in the previous paper will be reviewed. In the flow of the mixture of oil and gas in a vertical pipe, slippage is the phenomenon of gas moving upward with a. linear velocity greater than that of the oil. Under steady conditions, if given quantities of oil and gas enter the tubing per unit of time, the same quantities of oil and gas per unit time must, on the average, pass every section of the tubing; otherwise, there would be accumulation or depletion of the oil or gas at some sections, and the flow would be unsteady. Therefore, if the gas is to flow at a greater linear velocity than that of the liquid,

Jan 1, 1933

By A. L. Foell

THE development of the modern blast furnace began more than one hundred years ago, with the abandonment of the small hillside furnaces. Its development, especially during the past 50 years, has been accomplished through a rapid succession of enlargements and improvements. The remarkable growth in furnace output during this period is a tribute to the engineers and operators who have constantly endeavored to build larger and more efficient blast furnaces. The blast-furnace operators and their mechanical and electrical maintenance staffs have originated most of the furnace improvements as a result of their practical operating experience. FURNACE LINES About 50 years ago furnaces consisted of hearths about 11 ft. in diameter, which merged into rather high flat boshes, with no cylindrical section between the bosh and inwall and no cylindrical section at the stock line. Since then the lines of the furnace invariably have included a cylindrical section above the bosh and a cylindrical section at the stock line. Notable increases have been made in both hearth diameters and furnace heights. During the past 10 years hearth diameters in new and replaced furnace stacks have rather consistently fallen within the range of 25 to 28 ft. while their heights have varied between 100 and 106 ft. The lines of most large furnaces using Mesabi ores have followed a fairly uniform pattern (Fig. I) in which the principal dimensions for 25-ft. hearth furnaces are as follows: [Hearth diameter 25 ft. o in. Height of bosh 10 ft. o in. Bosh angle 8 1 ½° Diameter top of bosh 28 ft. o in. Inwall batter per foot 15/16 Stock-line diameter 19 ft. 6 in. Large-bell diameter 14 ft. 6 in. Height from iron notch to top ring casting 100 ft. o in.] In determining the size of a new furnace for the replacement of an existing stack or for an addition to productive capacity, it is not possible to formulate a procedure that can always be followed. Local conditions, requirements as to capacity, available raw materials and prospects for future expansion dictate the size of such proposed improvements or additions. However, where the immediate requirements indicate a stack or furnace of a certain productive capacity, and the future prospects indicate that more capacity can be utilized, it is well to consider building the furnace for the ultimate capacity rather than to install a smaller hearth with provision for future enlargement. The decision to build the larger hearth and stack for the ultimate capacity probably will require no greater initial investment, since the saving in the cost of brickwork will about offset the greater cost of the hearth jacket, tuyere breast and bosh bands. In the meantime, the furnace of larger hearth dimensions, while operating below its ultimate output, will yield a better coke rate and

Jan 1, 1942

By Norman Pilling

THE solubilities of a series of experimental alloys covering the range 0 to 100 per cent. Ni, 0 to 30 per cent. Cr have been studied under conditions of complete submersion in several fully aerated acid solutions, and in solutions containing sulfurous acid. In nonoxidizing, hydrogen-discharging acids, if the nickel content is below a certain critical amount, chromium increases the rate of solution and nickel decreases this rate; this critical content of nickel is about 13 per cent. Alloys containing more than this corrode at a constant minimum rate independent of iron, nickel or chromium contents. Austenitic chrome-nickel steels may thus have a resistance to these acids equal to that of nickel-chromium alloys. In nitric acid and in unaerated sulfurous acid rather sharp limits of attack occur which are principally dependent on chromium content. In the former the limit of attack is not related to a particular chromium content but varies continuously with acid concentration. The action of sulfurous acid on these alloys is highly dependent on the presence of small amounts of other substances in solution, and many sulfurous acid mixtures rapidly attack alloys to which the pure acid is wholly inert. The observed effects are. not compatible with Tammann's theory relating corrosion resistance to lattice structure but are believed to be concordant with current views of the electrochemical nature of corrosion.

Jan 1, 1929

By B. H. Bergstram, C. L. Sollenberger

When glass spheres are crushed by slow compression loading, the outer lune-shaped fragments resulting from the fracture consistently fly outward at high velocity. About 45 pct of the strain energy fed into the sphere-platen system reappears in the form of the kinetic energy possessed by these fragments. These measurements were obtained from high-speed photographs. This kinetic energy can be utilized for addtional comminution if the fragments are allowed to impact against a suitable structure. Comminution theory has advanced considerably in recent years by the study of this unit operation under laboratory conditions. Some of the parameters have been isolated, but the experimental measurements of the pertinent quantities, such as energy, particle size, etc., are still only made prior to and after the conclusion of a fracture sequence. The catastrophic fracture process itself has not been adequately studied from a comminution point of view. It has recently been suggested by Gilvarry that the fragments which result from the free crushing of a single glass sphere by slow compression contain a considerable amount of kinetic energy after fracture. This kinetic energy, if properly directed, possibly can be partially utilized to cause additional fracture. In this paper a hypothesis will be presented which suggests that this kinetic energy is necessarily present and that its dissipation is the process by which a large part of the thermal energy imparted to the crushed product is generated. Evidence supporting the existence of kinetic energy and its utilization for secondary fracture will also be presented. THEORETICAL A previous paper4 has shown that the load-deformation curve of a system composed of an elastic sphere gripped by a pair of parallel platens, can be predicted by a consideration of the theories of Hertz as summarized by Timoshenko.' The deformation A, of one half of the system is given by which states that the deformation is a function of the mutually applied load, P, the radius of the sphere, R; and the respective physical properties of Poisson's ratio, v, and Young's modulus of elasticity, Y. The shape of experimental load-deformation curves conform to this relationship. The energy input to the sphere-platen system, can be predicted from the integral of the load acting through the appropriate distance, dA. Since dA can be evaluated in terms of P from the derivative of Eq. 1, this integral can be integrated between limits of 0 and P. The test sphere, however, is loaded at not one but at two points of contact, i.e., at both ends of a diameter, and hence the total energy input, E, is twice the energy input at each end, or The energy input to the system calculated from this equation corresponds to the energy computed from the measured area under the load-deformation curve. Timoshenko, considering the impact of two perfectly elastic spheres, has shown that the inter-penetration distance A is given by - m f (D (^ * ^t w as modified for the special case where one sphere is of infinite radius, i.e., its surface is a plane; where M is the mass of the finite sphere of radius R, and V is the velocity of approach at the start of an impact and also equals the final velocity of separation for perfectly elastic bodies. Because A is also a function of the load and the elastic properties, as shown in Eq. 1, the velocity, V, can also be calculated in terms of the elastic properties and maximum load, P, or

Jan 1, 1961

By F. B. Plummer

THE physical properties of oil-producing sands, such as grain size, porosity, and permeability, are becoming more and more important in petroleum production engineering as oil fields are being repressured and rejuvenated. A number of excellent papers have been published recently on all three of these properties. Faucher, Lewis and Barnes1 give a com-plete survey of the work done through 1932 and contribute also much information on sands that they themselves have examined. Muskat and Botset,2 Wykoff, Botset, Muskat and Reed,3 Hurst,4 and Muskat5 have contributed a great deal to the theory and actual measurement of flow of liquids and gases through porous media. Muskat and Botset have measured the permeabilities of different sands with gases and liquids. They find that the radial is always slightly under the linear permeability. However, in most of the previous experiments small samples of the sand were used, and the method of production of fluid or gas through the sands has not been very close to actual oil-field conditions. In addition, so far as the authors are aware, no measurements of linear and radial permeabilities have been made simultaneously under exactly the same conditions. The multiple permeability apparatus described here is a part of the equipment being acquired by this laboratory for thorough investigation of the physical properties of producing sands. It possesses certain advantages for comparative studies of liquid flow. Additional data and descriptions of other instruments will follow in papers to be written later on. The essential features of the permeability apparatus are as follows:

Jan 1, 1934

By E. A. Gulbransen, W. S. Wysong

THE behavior of molybdenum and its surface oxides in oxidizing and reducing gas atmospheres and in high vacua at elevated temperatures is a question of scientific and technical importance The use of molybdenum as a metal or as an important component in alloys in oxidizing atmospheres at elevated temperatures has been limited because of the unprotective nature of its oxide film and the volatility of this oxide at moderate temperatures. This communication will present results of a vacuum microbalance study 1,2 of the following problems. (11) the oxidation kinetics in the temperature range of 250° to 450°C; (2) the reduction with pure hydrogen of thin oxide films formed on molybdenum; (3) the volatility of the thin oxide films, and (4) the vacuum oxidation of molybdenum at high temperatures. Molybdenum is an interesting metal to study for the following reasons: (I) although the oxide-to-metal-volume ratio is greater than one, the metal is not considered protective; (2) the metal oxidizes readily at temperatures of 250°C and higher; (3) the oxides of the metal are reduced at temperatures as low as 500°C by pure hydrogen; (4) the oxide MoO3 melts at 795°C; and (5) the oxides of molybdenum are volatile at moderate temperatures. The following variables are studied in the oxidation kinetics. time, temperature, pressure, surface preparation, surface area, concentration of inert gas in the lattice, cycling procedures in temperature, vacuum effect and high temperature vacuum oxidation The general interpretation of many of these factors has been previously discussed. LITERATURE The oxidation of molybdenum has not been studied critically. Although" many studies have probably been made on the kinetics of the oxidation process, none has been reported in the literature available to us. The crystal structures found in the oxidation of molybdenum have been studied by Hickman and Culbransen 4 Their results showed that MoO2 is the oxide which is stable in contact with the metallic subgtrate throughout the temperature range 300 to 700°C. As the film thickens in the low temperature range, MoO3 becomes predominant on the surface. Above 400°C, Mo03 is no longer observed, Mo02 being the only oxide found. Hagg and Magneli5 have shown from an X ray study that the a-phase, orthorhombic MoO3 is stable up to 1050°C. Two other phases, ß and ß', with compositions close to Mo02 90 are also obtained The formula for the ß phase is not given but that of the ß' phase is defined as Mo9026. The ß' phase is found to be built upon a monoclinic unit cell. A -?-phase is isolated from a preparation M00275 heated for 17 hrs at 670°C. This phase is

Jan 1, 1947

By F. L. Robertson, C. H. Bacon, J. W. Till

A description is given of the development of a process for making low sulphur steel on furnaces fired with 2 1/2 pet sulphur oil. Slag and metal are analyzed at melt. Slag weight is estimated. A simple method for calculating necessary lime additions for making 0.025 and 0.035 pct sulphur steel is given. DURING the last 15 years John Summers & Sons have been confronted increasingly by the problem of producing a low sulphur steel from high sulphur materials. The principles adopted, the processes used, the data collected on a furnace specially set aside to study this problem, and speculation on future developments are dealt with in this paper. This study is limited to two melting shops which make sheet steel only, of the following analysis: C, 0.06 pct; Mn, 0.33; S, 0.04, 0.035, 0.03, and 0.025; and P, 0.02 and 0.015. All the processes described have reference to the manufacturing of this steel and are not necessarily applicable, without modification, to other steels. The raw materials used are given in Table I. Development of Process About 1934, Schenck's work on phosphorus was applied to frame quantitative rules for the removal of phosphorus, with great success. We could however, neither in our own work nor in the voluminous literature, find any assistance to frame quantitative furnace rules to remove sulphur. Perhaps, we should have persevered with Schenck's outstanding chapter on sulphur in The Physical Chemistry of Steelmaking, but we missed the importance of one (Ss) sentence on p. 478. "Evidently this ratio -------- is [S] the important quantity to be considered from the point of view of chemical reaction; it is clear that the sulphur content of the steel alone, as frequently given in the literature cannot suffice for judging the success of the reaction unless special details are given regarding the sulphur charge and the amount of slag."' We were not however very successful in getting values for Schenck's "n" that agreed with (S) arrived at by our direct analysis. [S] In addition to Schenck's work much attention was given to V value. The formula selected for V was: (SCaO) — 1.57 (2 P2O5) (S SiO2) After plotting many charges a curve was obtained, based upon the relationship between the percentage sulphur in the finished steel and V value, Fig. 1. For a long time this was used as standard with about a 60 to 70 pct success on producer-gas fired furnaces, if all uprising scrap was used and no bought scrap used. An inspection of this curve shows clearly that it is not a quantitative manufacturing process, and that it was not sure enough to go to the trouble and expense of doing stage analysis for P,O,,

Jan 1, 1952

By H. C. Fiedler

The solubility of sulfur in Si-Fe was determined by the metallographic examination of heat-treated and quenched samples. In the absence of manganese, the solubility in 3.1 pct Si-Fe was found to be about 0.010 pct at 1000o C, 0.015 pct at 11000C, and 0.020 pct at 1150°C, which is substatntially less than hitherto reported. Increasing the silicon content was found to decrease the solubility of sulfur, which is consistent with the increase in the activity coefficient of sulfur with increasing silicon content that has been reported for Fe-Si alloys. Manganese additions were studied in alloys containing 3.1 pct Si and between 0.013 and 0.015 pct S. At low manganese levels the solubility product of manganese sulfide was found to be lower than previously reported. THE solubility of sulfur in pure polycrystalline iron has been reported by Rosenquist and Dunicz1 and by Turkdogan et al.2 Samples were equilibrated in atmospheres containing different ratios of H2S/H2. Both groups of investigators found a solubility limit in y iron of 0.013 pct at 1000oC and 0.031 pct at 1200°C. In addition, Rosenquist and Dunicz1 found a solubility limit in a iron of 0.020 pct at 900°C. Ainslie, Hoffman, and seybolt3 found significantly higher sulfur contents in polycrystalline iron samples than in single-crystal samples after heating at 890°C in a sealed tube containing a mixture of powdered iron and FeS made with s35. Whereas the single crystals contained 0.013 and 0.016 pct S (± 0.005 pct), the polycrystalline samples contained between 0.016 and 0.026 pct S. Autoradiographs suggested that the excess sulfur in the polycrystalline samples was due to the segregation of sulfur in solution at grain boundaries. Ainslie and seybolt4 have reported on the solubility of sulfur in 3 pct Si-Fe. Their samples were sealed in capsules containing hydrogen and sufficient sulfur as cobalt sulfide to saturate the sample. After heat treating, the sulfur-rich phase on the surface was removed by abrading, and the sulfur content of the sample was taken as the equilibrium value for that temperature. Before the equilibrating heat treatment, the samples were heated to 1300°C to coarsen the grains. The resulting grain size, which was about 3/18 in. in diam, was considered sufficiently large to preclude a sensible increase in sulfur solubility due to grain boundary segregation. They reported the solubility to be 0.029 pct at 900oC, 0.063 pct at 1000oC, 0.076 pct at 1100°C, 0.122 pct at 1200°C, and 0.098 pct at 1300°C.

Jan 1, 1968

By J. E. Gould, H. J. Hand

MANY independent studies are being made on slag-metal relationships in the open-hearth furnace, and these studies cannot help but result in an ultimate improvement in the quality of open-hearth steel of both the open and killed types In maintaining quality control at the National Tube Company's plant, emphasis has been placed on an evaluation of the iron oxide content of the steel in as quantitative a manner as possible, in order that the most desirable level of oxidation might be obtained for a given type of steel, and to secure a more precise basis for final deoxidation In the past, various methods were used for estimating FeO content of the metal at tap to ensure uniform and thorough deoxidation of killed steel, avoiding over-deoxidation to minimize the amount of inclusions present and to make as sound a steel as possible For the open-type steels, such control involves obtaining the necessary level of oxidation for the most suitable action of the steel in the molds to provide good surface quality and cross section for the specific grade involved While rapid analytical methods are available for determination of FeO in the liquid metal, such methods are still not sufficiently rapid for routine control on the open-hearth floor, nor do such analyses provide information as to what causes high or long FeO values The method of sampling can still be considered a problem in view of the variability encountered in taking simultaneous duplicate tests With the accurate rapid methods now available for determining carbon in the metal, estimating slag basicity and obtaining temperatures of liquid metal, it was believed possible to determine the influence of the various furnace reactions in establishing the state of oxidation at a given time Simultaneous slag and metal tests were used in this analysis, aided by statistical methods, to determine the factors that affect the metal FeO, and also to make a quantitative evaluation of these factors Data obtained are from actual furnace operations, the metal test being of the spoon, Herty type, and taken in duplicate. Metal temperatures were taken with the open-tube bath pyrometer developed by the Research Laboratory of the United States Steel Corporation This method of taking open-hearth metal temperature was invented by Collins and Oseland,1 and was developed into its present form by L 0 Sordahl,2 of the Research Laboratory The instrument and its mode of operation have been fully described by Sordahl and Sosman in three publications 3,4,5 Slag components were obtained by chemical analysis Data were taken from four 165-net-ton furnaces during the working period of the heat Recognizing that additions of ore affect the

Jan 1, 1942

Sec. 1. The membership of the Institute shall comprise six classes, namely: 1. Members; 2. Honorary Members; 3. Senior Members; 4. Associates; 5. Junior Members; 6. Rocky Mountain Members. All shall be equally entitled to the privileges of membership, excepting that no member of any class whom residence shall be outside of the United States of America, except those residing in Mexico and Canada, shall be entitled to vote. SEC. 2. Members: A person to be eligible for election or transfer into the claw of Member must be at least 27 years of age and must have had at least six years' employment in the practice of engineering, mining, geology, metallurgy, or chemistry, during at least three years of which he must have held positions of responsibility in one or more of these fields. This shall not apply to Rocky Mountain members.

Jan 1, 1934

By J. W. Downey, J. B. Darby, L. J. Norton

THE only previous investigation of the phase equilibria in the Ta-Pd system was reported by Greenfield and Beck.1 Their work (actually a portion of a much broader survey) was limited to the composition range 50 to 75 at. pct Ta and to a single temperature, 1000°C. The results indicated that no intermediate phases were present at this temperature. They pointed out that this was an unexpected result in view of the fact that niobium, which belongs to the same group in the periodic table as tantalum and has essentially the same atomic size, forms a o phase with palladium.' Also, tantalum in combination with rhodium,' iridium,' or platinum' stabilizes the s phase. By analogy, the Ta-Pd system would also be expected to contain a s phase. The present investigation was therefore undertaken to explore more fully the phase relationships in this system. Alloys were prepared by arc melting on a water-cooled copper hearth in an argon-helium atmosphere. The purity of the starting materials was greater than 99.9 pct. The weight losses on melting were less than 1 pct and therefore the alloys were not analyzed chemically. Specimens were wrapped in molybdenum foil, encapsulated in quartz capsules under a vacuum of at least 1 x 10-5 mm of Hg, annealed as indicated in Table I, and water quenched. Optical and X-ray metallography were used for identifying the phases present in the annealed and quenched alloys. The alloys were resistant to attack by several acids; however, a sodium cyanide electroetch and an immersion etch containing 1 part HF, 1 part HNO3, 2 parts H2SO4, and 5 parts H2O by volume were found satisfactory. The X-ray diffraction patterns were taken with a Straumanis-type Debye-Scherrer camera and filtered copper or chromium radiation. A summary of the phases found in this investigation is presented in Table I. No attempt was made to determine the composition limits of the various phases. The present results indicate that this system consists of two terminal solid solutions separated by at least four intermediate phases at the approximate compositions Ta3Pd, -TaPd, TaPd,, and TaPd3. The Ta-rich solid solution, containing less than 10 at. pct Pd at 1150°C, is in equilibrium with a o phase which is stable in the vicinity of 25 at. pct Pd. The latter phase is also in equilibrium with a bct phase at the equiatomic composition. At high temperatures it appears that the Pd-rich solid solution extends to at least 66.6 at. pct Pd and is in equilibrium with the bct phase. When annealed at 900°C, a sample containing 66.6 at. pct Pd transformed to an unidentified phase designated as X. An X-ray diffraction pattern of this phase contained sharp low-angle lines while the high-angle lines were characteristically diffuse. The observed d-spacings and relative intensities for lines in the low-angle region are presented in Table 11. In the vicinity of 70 at. pct Pd an intermediate phase having the TiA13-type structure is formed. It is stable to at least 1100°C, and presumably dissolves congruently into the ter-

Jan 1, 1963

By P. N. Nikiforuk, M. C. Zoerb

An analog computer model has been developed of a large, walking dragline. This model permits changes in the configuration of the dragline, or changes in its digging cycle, to be readily investigated on a computer. As a result, it is possible to determine ways of improving the dragline performance without having to carry out many expensive experiments on the actual machine. This model can also be used as a simulator for dragline operator training. INTRODUCTION The movement of large volumes of material is always a costly operation and the increasing trend towards the use of large capacity equipment does not necessarily produce the economy desired. This problem is of particular concern to the mining industry in its open-pit operations where large draglines are used to remove the overburden. Since this operation often forms a very large part of the total cost of open-pit mining it is particularly important that it be kept as economical as possible. This requires that the dragline be operated at its maximum possible productivity. In order to optimize the operation of a dragline it is desirable that a suitable model of the dragline be available for study. Once such a model is available the effects of changes in the configuration of the dragline, or changes in its digging cycle, could be readily investigated on a computer and methods of improving its performance could be determined without having to carry out expensive experiments on the actual machine. Such models would be of use not only to dragline users, but also to the manufacturers of draglines for design purposes. Presumably studies of this type could eventually lead to computer-con trolled stripping operations. As far as can be determined very little work1'2 has been done on the derivation of dragline models. Such models must be derived before work of the nature indicated in the previous paragraph can be carried out. As a small contribution to this field this paper describes work that has been carried out by the senior author during the past few years on the derivation of one such model. This model describes the drag, hoist and swing operations of a 35 cu yd, commercially available, walking dragline. This model was derived for use with an analog computer and can be used either for optimization studies, or for the training of dragline operators. DESCRIPTION OF DRAGLINE General: The particular dragline for which an analog computer model was developed is owned by the Great West Coal Company of Estevan, Saskatchewan. It is a walking dragline and its function is to remove 40

Jan 1, 1967

By E. J. McCaustland

The behavior of steel after overstrain and at moderate temperatures is fairly well known. It has been made the subject of much investigation, and our knowledge is clear and definite on many points. The ultimate raising of the elastic limit, after moderate overstrain, and the consequent lowering of the ductility, seem to be well established. It is also well understood that the immediate effect of overstrain is to lower the elastic limit, possibly to zero, but that if not interfered with, this limit will subsequently rise higher than before. The " tests after moderate temperature," reported in this paper, were undertaken to verify the above statements for the particular steel under investigation, and also to determine, if possible, the total time required for complete recovery from this state of overstrain. The behavior of overstrained steel at temperatures at or below 32" F. is not so well known. Tests made by Prof. E. G. Coker, at McGill University,' show that steel, overstrained and subjected to cold, will remain in a state of overstrain for an indefinite period. I am not aware of any other published results of tests along this particular line. The effect of time and temperature on the recovery of steel from overstrain was made in 1902-3 the subject of some investigation in the laboratories of the College of Civil Engineering of Cornell University. A general plan was outlined in connection with the regular courses of instruction in testing of materials; but the press of routine work and the demands of the schedules on the time of the students were so great as to presage long delay in the completion of the work. Not much had been accomplished up to 1904-05, when Messrs. E. C.

Jan 1, 1907

By L. W. Holm, A. K. Csaszar

A series of laboratory experiments was conducted in which oil was displaced from a porous medium by water-driven slugs of alcohols or similar solvents. The solvents used were soluble to some degree in both oil and water and covered the range of solubilities from complete solubility in oil to complete solubility in water. Displacement experiments were conducted on 2-and 3%-in. in diameter consolidated cores and 1-and 2-in. in diameter unconsolidated sand packs. The cores and sand packs ranged in length from 1 to 30 ft, and they were saturated with brine and crude or refined oils. The solvents used included ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol (IPA), tertiary butyl alcohol (TBAI, secondary butyl alcohol (SBA), n-amyl alcohol (NAA), methyl ethyl ketone, acetone and others. It was found that all of the oil present in a porous medium could be miscibly displaced by injecting a slug of mutual solvent and driving it with water. The oil-recovery efficiency was dependent upon (1) the relative solubilities of the solvent in oil and water, and (2) the distance traversed by the flood. For complete oil recovery from cores, a smaller amount of a preferentially oil-soluble solvent was required, compared to the amount of preferentially water-soluble solvent needed. The size of the solvent slug required varied inversely with the linear flooding-path length raised to the 0.65 power. Water-driven dual solvent combinations (an oil-soluble solvent slug followed by a water-soluble solvent slug) were found to effect complete oil recovery with less total solvent than any single solvent used. In these dual-solvent displacement experiments, the slug size required varied inversely with length raised to the 0.55 power. Based upon the experimental results, a theory was developed to describe the displacement of oil and water by mutual solvents, and equations are presented to predict the production history in a linear system. These equations take into account the properties of the solvents and the porous medium. INTRODUCTION Oil-recovery processes which utilize displacing fluids that are miscible with the reservoir fluids have been studied extensively in recent years. Because of the poor contact efficiency and high pressure requirements of the LPG-gas displacement process there has been considerable interest in the alcohol-water process, and a number of studies have been made on the recovery of oil through the use of solvents which are mutually soluble in oil and water. An investigation by Sievert, Dew and Conleyl indicated that the use of mutual solvents would be limited because the presence of water in a porous medium would cause a phase break in the leading edge of the displacing solvent. Their study also showed that, in consolidated cores containing. only oil, the displacement of oil by a water-driven mutual-solvent slug of tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) was affected by the viscosity ratios of the fluids involved. Gatlin and slobod3 concluded that an isopropyl alcohol (IPA) slug acts as a miscible piston, completely displacing both oil and water until the alcohol content of the mixing zone falls below the concentration necessary to maintain miscibility. Their study was conducted on uniform unconsolidated sand packs. They concluded further that IPA could be used effectively to recover oil from a watered-out sand. In a paper by Taber, Gamath and Reed4 relating an investigation on sandstone cores, it was stated that the displacement of oil by mutual solvents, particularly IPA, was not a miscible displacement and that no improvement in efficiency could be expected with increase in flooding-path length. However, their analytical analysis of the displacement mechanism using TBA is, in fact, one which indicates that the displacement is controlled by miscible mixing. They suggested that the lack of improvement in efficiency with flooding - path

By Joseph Kuti

Longwall mining is the term used for the underground extraction of a wide and deep panel of coal. Such a panel may be blocked out by one or more entries on either side ("head" and "tail") of a longwall face. If all the entries are pre-driven, the panel extraction is termed longwall retreat mining. With one exception, all the longwall faces in the United States are of this type.1 Prior to the general decline in the rates of production with Continuous Miners, the development of the multiple entries generally kept ahead of the longwall extraction rate. This is no longer the case: longwall extraction rates far exceed the rate of development. In addition to this problem, in newly established mines, the development of a haulage and bleeder system based on multiple entries results in a lead-time of three years or more before longwall mining can be applied.

Jan 11, 1979

By Harry L. Brown, James M. Dickinson, Philip E. Armstrong

The elastic stiffness coefficients of niobium have been rneaslrred from -150°C to over 650 C and ave in accord with the anomalous temperature dependence previously observed for Young's modulus. This unusual behavior has been shown to be the result of changes in the relative values of the shear elastic coefficients. The bulk modulus remained essentially constant over the temperature range studied, while changes in the shear coefficients produced a more nearly isotropic behavior as the temperature increased. A number of investigators have reported data on the temperature dependence of Young's modulus of polycrystalline niobium. The values cited for the room-temperature modulus ranged from 0.71 to 1.17 x 10" dynes-cm-' (10.3 to 17.0 x lo6 psi) and in each case the modulus was observed to decrease with increasing temperature. In our recent study,8 both polycrystalline and single-crystal samples of essentially strain-free high-purity niobium showed a Young's modulus whose temperature dependence as well as magnitude was strongly dependent on specimen orientation. This was shown to be the result of changes in the relative magnitude of the two shear moduli, C and C'. Young's modulus of polycrystalline samples with strong [110] textures and Young's modulus of single crystals whose orientations were away from the [loo] actually increased as much as 12 pct between room temperature and 1000°C. While studies on the residual effects of previous fabrication, thermal treatments, and impurity contents will probably resolve the problem of the widely differing Young's modulus values observed in polycrystalline niobium, a more complete description of the elastic properties requires an evaluation of the single-crystal elastic constants. A knowledge of these constants can provide a clearer picture of the nature of the temperature dependence, as well as establish a basis for predicting the modulus behavior of polycrystalline niobium, both in the randomly oriented condition and with various fabrication textures. The effects of residual strains on the elastic behavior then can be separated from orientation effects. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD Thin rod-resonance techniques were used to obtain both the Young's modulus and shear modulus of single-crystal specimens. The determination of these moduli as functions of the crystallographic orientation of the specimen axis provided sufficient information to permit calculation of the single-crystal elastic constants. The necessity for torsional as well as longitudinal measurements led to the design and assembly of a vertical-tube vacuum furnace incorporating probes for the simultaneous determination of both longitudinal

Jan 1, 1967

By R. Scot Clark

The reactively sputtered silicon dioxide capacitor -was developed for use in the monolithic integrated circuit, thereby requiring the capacitor to be fabricated on an oxidized silicon slice. The silicon dioxide film is formed by reactively sputtering silicon in a 50 pct Ar-50 pct 0, atmosphere and the physical properties are indistinguishable from silica. A practical upper limit of capacitance per unit area of 0.25 pf per sq mil is reached with the capacitors fabricated from the Si0, film. Methods shown to enhance this value are double stacking the thin-film capacitors and addition of aluminum to the silicon cathode during sputtering to form an aluminosilicate dielectric. A major contribution to the field of diffused integrated circuits would be the addition of auxiliary passive devices for replacement of diffused passive devices which are currently being fabricated for many integrated circuits. This accomplishment would increase the flexibility of the diffusion process in order to concentrate more on transistor parameters rather than on fabricating diffused resistors and capacitors. To pursue this technique, a thin-film SiOz capacitor was developed which has _ proven applicable to many integrated circuits. Although the SiOl capacitor has an application, the major deterrent from extending the integrated circuit into many useful areas such as low-frequency linear application is the low dielectric constant of SiO, and the low usable capacitance in an integrated circuit. This paper will cover the sputtering techniques used for forming the SiO, film, the physical and electrical properties of sputtered SiO,, and yield information concerning the application of these capacitors to integrated circuits. REACTIVE SPUTTERING Reactive sputtering is simply the sputtering of a metal or semiconductor in glow discharge in the presence of a reactive gas. The material to be sputtered is seen in Fig. 1 as the cathode of the system and is bombarded with positively charged ions of the ambient gas. In this investigation, the ambient gas is composed of 50 pct Ar and 50 pct O2 at a pressure of approximately 2.5 X l0-' Torr. The ions are accelerated toward the cathode in the cathode dark space by the electric field and upon striking the cathode effect a momentum energy transfer to the surface atoms. The transferred energy is sufficient to dislodge a surface atom or atoms and these particles diffuse through the glow discharge to the collector or anode. Several mechanisms of oxidation in the reaction chamber can be considered during reactive sputtering. 1) The surface of the cathode is oxidized and the oxide is subsequently sputtered. 2) Oxidation and sputtering occur simultaneously. 3) Sputtering of the cathode material is followed

Jan 1, 1965