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By W. W. Whitaker, C. W. Manry, R. H. McLean

In an eccentric annulus, cement may favor the widest side and bypass slower-moving mud in the narrowest side. Tendency of the cement to bypass mud is a function of the geometry of the annulus, the density and flow properties of the mud and cement and the rate of flow. Bypassing can be prevented if the pressure gradient protluced from circulation of the cement and buoyant forces exceeds the pressure gradient necessary to drive the mud through the narrowest side of the annulus at the same velocity as the cement. In the absence of buoyant forces, one requirement for this balance is maintenance of the yield strength of the cement greater than the yield strength of the mud multiplied by the maximum distance from the casing to the wall of the borehole and divided by the minimum distance. If the yield strength of the cement is below this value, bypassing of mud cannot be prevented unless buoyant forces or motion of the casing significantly aid the displacement. INTRODUCTION Successful primary cementing leaves no continuous channels of mud capable of flow during well treatment and production. Prevention of channels requires care. Tep-litz and Hassebroek provide evidence of channels of mud after primary cementing in the field.' Channeling of cement through mud in laboratory experiments has also been reported.'-' Recommendations for improving the displacement of mud include (1) centralizing the casing in the borehole,'-" 2) attaching centralizers and scratchers to the casing and moving it during displacement,18 "3) thinning the isolating the cement by plugs while it is circulated down the casing,%( (5 establishing turbulence in the cement," and (6) holding the cement slurry at least 2 lb/gal heavier than the mud and circulating the cement slurry at a very low rate of flow.' Although much has been written about the above parameters, the relative importance of each has not been well defined. In this investigation, the mechanics of mud displacement are described through results from analytical models and experiments. The model chosen — a single string of casing eccentric in a round, smooth-walled, impermeable borehole — is analagous to casing centralized in a borehole which is not round and to placing more than one string of casing in a borehole. In each, some paths for flow are more restricted than others. A fluid flowing in the borehole may seek the least restricted, or most open, path. This tendency for uneven flow can lead to channeling of cement through mud unless preventive measures are taken. The analytical models describe channeling and give means of balancing the flow. Experimental data test the analytical models and illustrate effects of motion of the casing, differences in density and mud's tendency to gel. Results are encouraging. Piston-like displacement of mud by an equal density cement slurry is possible through proper balance of the flow properties of the mud and cement slurries to the eccentricity of the annulus. The more eccentric the annulus, the thicker must be the cement relative to the mud. If proper balance is not achieved. bypassing of mud by cement cannot be prevented without assistance from motion of the casing or buoyant forces. Increasing the rate of flow can help to start all mud flowing but cannot prevent channeling of cement through slower moving mud in an eccentric annulus. Thinning the cement slurry tends to increase channeling although the extent of turbulence in the annulus may be increased. Description of flow in an eccentric annulus begins in the next section. It is assumed that (1) the casing is eccentric and is stationary, (2) the mud and cement slurries have the same density and (3) the gel structure of the mud has been broken and the mud and cement follow the Bingham flow model. Effects related to these restrictions will be discussed. FLOW PATTERNS SlNGLE FLUID IN ANNULUS Flow of a single fluid through an eccentric annulus is illustrated in Fig. 1. Part A shows laminar flow of a Newtonian fluid. This distribution of flow was calculated by Piercy, Hooper and Winney.' In fully developed turbulent flow, the velocity distribution around the annulus is less distorted, but the flow still favors the widest part of the annulus Parts B, C and D of Fig. 1 are a qualitative representation of the flow of a Bingham fluid. The yield strength of the fluid increases the severity of bypassing compared to Newtonian flow. At a very low rate of flow, all flow is confined to that portion of the annulus which has the minimum perimeter-to-area ratio. The fluid shears on the perimeter of that area when the pressure gradient multiplied by the area just exceeds the yield stress of the fluid multiplied by the perimeter. Whether or not the minimum perimeter-to-area region encompasses all of the annulus or only a part (as shown in Part B) depends on the geometry of the annulus. If only a part begins to flow, increasing the rate of flow increases the area flowing until finally there is flow throughout the annulus.

By J. D. Price, G. V. Woody

MANY producers of by-product coke have spent considerable time and given considerable thought to the use of a substitute for low-volatile coal as an admixture with high-volatile coking coal for charging high-temperature by-product coke ovens. Generally speaking, there are two principal reasons for this, one being occasioned by the lack, in certain localities, of low-volatile coal delivered at a cost sufficiently low to permit its use, and another being the desirability of finding a substitute product with a delivered cost lower than the cost of the low-volatile coal. It was for the first of these reasons that the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation was particularly interested in this subject. This paper deals with the experimental work and the results obtained by that company in producing and using low-temperature char. OVERCOMING DEFECTS IN COKE FROM COLORADO COALS Colorado coking coals are all of the high-volatile type and were all laid down during he Cretaceous period, which makes them something like 80 million or so years younger, geologically, than eastern coals. They behave, when coked alone, something like the Pittsburgh-seam coals. They make a very brittle, highly cross-fractured, fingery coke of fair shatter value but quite low in resistance to abrasion. Mixed with a low-volatile coking coal such as Pocahontas or certain Oklahoma coals, they make a coke that is equal to virtually any of the eastern cokes. The inferior quality of Colorado coke has long been recognized, and a considerable amount of time, effort and money has been spent upon investigations of means for improving its physical properties. While it has been found that some improvement in quality of coke can be secured by the adjustment and control of such variables as pulverization, moisture content, oven temperature and bulk density of charge, and through the addition of certain inert materials such as pulverized coke breeze, pitch, high-volatile noncoking or semicoking coal, the benefits so gained have been comparatively small. There are no low or medium-volatile coking coals available within a reasonable freight-cost distance. Therefore a substitute for low-volatile coal was developed through low-temperature carbonization-or, more correctly speaking, through the partial devolatilization-of high-volatile coals. The blending of this lower volatile char with the high-volatile coking coal distinctly improves the quality of coke made from Colorado coal. There is nothing especially new about this idea. In 1908 a Japanese patent was taken out by Kotaro Shimomura, whose claim was: The method of making a nonfingery coke out of bituminous coals, without using natural coals of low-volatile matter; according to which a certain coal is heated at a temperature between about 300°C. and about 600°C. so as to leave about 15 to 25 per cent volatile matter in the coal; this coal is mixed with the

Jan 1, 1944

By Jay A. Carpenter

WAR?S impact on Nevada mining and rnetallugrcal operations has brought about a rapid rise in the gross value of the ores mined and milled for the atratezic metals, and a sharp decrease in that for the precious metals. The State?s total production over the present war years will averaged out 10 per cent above the good record of $39,000,000 in 1937. However. this annual production is low in contract to that of nearly $47,000,000 in 1877 in the days of the great bonanza on the Comstock, and that of nearly $49,000.000 in 1918 during the last World War..

Jan 1, 1944

By Walther Mathesus

INTRODUCTION THE use of high blast heats on furnaces melting Mesaba ores is still the exception, the average blast temperatures carried on Mesaba stacks seldom reaching 1,100° F. Some 15 years ago, when the use of fine Mesaba ores in larger proportions to the total burden first came into practice, it was found difficult to employ even those blast heats which it had been possible to carry with the Old Range ores. The furnaces refused to "take" high heats, and would persistently labor with irregular stock movement, which impaired the practice and increased the coke consumption. By lowering the blast temperature, the working of the furnace became smoother, and experience taught that with the softer and more easily reduced Mesaba ores, satisfactory practice could be obtained with comparatively low blast heats. Therefore a large number of Mesaba furnaces have ever since been operated on very low blast temperatures, ranging between 800° and 1,000° F. In the face of these difficulties, furnace men were slow to recognize that furnaces could be so designed as to permit a free movement of the charges in combination with the use of higher heats. Since higher blast temperatures did not seem to offer great advantages in the smelting of Mesaba ores, investments in hot-blast stoves were not as attractive to the furnace man as labor-saving devices and means of obtaining greater tonnages. The effect of this preference is keenly felt at the present time. It has brought about the peculiar situation, that the majority of our furnace plants (among them some of the most progressive) lack modern and efficient stove equipment. The result is that, even where the proper furnace lines have been adopted and conditions are now favorable to the successful employment of higher blast temperatures, the heats required for the greatest fuel economy are not available.

Jan 3, 1915

William Kent, New York City: I regard the paper of Professors Lord and Haas as the most important and valuable that has yet appeared on the subject of the calorific value of American coals. The close correspondence of the results they have obtained by the use of the bomb calorimeter with those calculated by the Dulong formula from the ultimate analyses, confirming the work done by Mahler in France some years before, is evidence of the extreme accuracy of their work, and gives us renewed confidence in Mahler's modification of the Berthelot calorimeter, and in Dulong's formula, which latter, until

Jan 1, 1898

By W. J. Babyak, F. N. Rhines

It has long been supposed that, regardless of the mechanism by which grain boundaries increase the hardness of a ductile metal, the effect should be linearly proportional to the grain boundary area. At the present time two methods for determining grain boundary area in an isotropic aggregate are available. The first, derived by Angus and Summers,' presumes that the grain boundary area is equal to 3vn, where n is the number of grains per sq mm in a random section through the metal. This estimate is based upon the assumption that the grains are equivalent to cubes whose faces correspond with the grains as observed in the micro-section. Measurements on copper, bronze, and a brass showed that a nearly linear relation exists between 3vn and hardness. This is illustrated, for the case of brass, in Fig. 1. The second method, developed independently by Smith and Guttman2 and by Duff in, Meussner, and Rhines,3 is absolute and employs a simple linear intercept count for measuring grain boundary area. It involves no assumptions with respect to the shape and distribution of the grain boundaries. The total surface in unit volume is 2 NL , where NL is the number of intercepts between grain boundary and unit length of a test line passed randomly through the sample. In practice, NL,, the average number of grain boundaries intercepted by unit length of traverse across a prepared microsection, is ob-

Jan 1, 1961

By William L. Fink, Kent R. Van Horn

Aluminum forms not only binary compounds with most of the metallic elements but also forms many ternary or more complex constituents. Several of those occurring in the more important alloy systems have been identified under the microscope and the action of various etching reagents has been carefully studied.' The determination of the structure and composition of these complex constituents is a matter of some difficulty and little information is available. X-ray crystal analysis offers a promising method for the study of such constituents. First, and of considerable importance, is the possibility of recognizing the presence of a given constituent by means more positive than microscopic observation. Evidence can also be obtained concerning the nature and composition of the constituent in question and ultimately it should be possible, at least in some cases, to describe the structure including the relative locations of the various atoms. In this paper some results of an uncompleted study of the constituents of the aluminum-iron-silicon system are given and the methods employed are described. Inasmuch as iron and silicon are the chief impurities in aluminum, the constitutional relations of this system are of fundamental importance in the metallurgy of pure aluminum and its alloys; the system has been studied by several investigators and the more important contributions have been reviewed recently.² Fig. 1 shows the structure of the aluminum-rich alloys after prolonged annealing at 560" C., in accord with one of the most recent investigations.3 The ternary alloys examined in the course of the present investigation were all annealed at 550" or 560' C.; in fact, some of the specimens were the identical ones used by nix and Heath, who kindly supplied them for this work. Since the results

Jan 1, 1931

By Victor V. Damiano

THOMPSON1 proposed a very convenient nomenclature in which an imaginary regular tetrahedron was used to facilitate the analysis of dislocation interactions in fcc materials. The faces of the tetrahedron were constructed parallel to four different sets of (111) planes, and the six edges of the tetrahedron then represented the six 1/2 [110] Burgers vectors. The lines which joined the midpoint of a tetrahedron face with the ends of one of its edges represented the Burgers vectors of the partial dislocations into which the six 1/2 [I101 Burgers vectors dissociate. Using Frank&apos;s2 notation, all of the dislocations and their partial dislocations were identified and numerous possible interactions were postulated. The case of hexagonal crystals is unfortunately more complex, but it appears convenient to introduce a system similar to that of Thompson1 to describe the various slip planes and Burgers vectors encountered in cph structures. The system proposed has limited application but serves to identify the following slip systems {0001} <l20>, {1010} <1120>,

Jan 1, 1963

By T. Turner, C. L. Zimmerman, U. Kappus

The purpose of the project is to divert flood flows of North Potato Creek. The project is located in the southeast corner of Tennessee near Copperhill, approximately 160 km north of Atlanta, GA. The project consists of: a 28-m high dam, a 0.9-m diam outlet conduit, an emergency spillway, and a 4.0-m diam hard rock transbasin diversion tunnel. This flood-water management system was part of Cities Service Co. mine safety program for the Cherokee ore body, which is partially located within the creek channel. The following paper describes the entire project development from feasibility studies to design and construction management.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. J. Blackwell, J. R. Rayne, J. R. Henderson, W. M. Terry, D. C. Lindley

This paper presents the results of a laboratory investigation of the efficiency of water-solvent mixtures in recovery of oil. These mixtures may have the high displacement efficiencies characteristic of solvent floods and the high sweep efficiencies characteristic of water floods. Thus, the water-solvent process may increase the number of reservoirs in which a miscible-type displacement can be used profitably. The experiments on the use of water-solvent mixtures for recovery of oil were conducted to find the general applicability of the process. These studies demonstrated that, in flowing through sands, water and solvent segregated into a solvent layer on the top and a water layer on the bottom rather than flowing through the sands as a uniform mixture. Calculations based on the simultaneous flow of the water and solvent in layers were used to predict the effective mobility of the mixtures and the optimum operation of the process in steeply dipping, homogeneous reservoirs. As most reservoirs are not suited for the operation of the process under ideal conditions, experimental studies were conducted with sand-packed models scaled to represent more realistic reservoirs. These studies included the effects on recovery of oil of rate of injection, viscosity of oil, variations of permeablity within a formation and variations in water-solvent ratio. For the range of con-ditions studied, higher recoveries of oil were obtained with water-solvent mixtures than with water or practical volumes of solvent alone. INTRODUCTION A group of intriguing—because of their great possibilities—new oil recovery methods at the disposal of the petroleum engineer are the miscible displacement processes. These processes (high-pressure gas drive, en-riched-gas drive and LPG bank driven by methane) displace all of the oil from the portions of the reservoir swept by the injection fluid. The key question confronting the engineer applying one of these techniques to a particular reservoir is, "What fraction of the reservoir can be swept by injection of a practical volume of solvent?"." Intensive laboratory studies have been made during the past several years in seeking answers to the question of the sweep efficiencies which can be expected in solvent floods.&apos; - These studies provided the answer that low-viscosity, low-density solvents channel and by-pass oil in sands with no dip. In horizontal sands, solvent flooding becomes less efficient as the viscosity of the oil increases, the recovery of oil at solvent breakthrough decreases and larger volumes of solvent are required to achieve a given recovery. More efficient displacement of oil by solvent is observed under certain conditions in sands with dip.".&apos; If the permeability and dip of the sand are sufficiently high, gravity segregation of low-density solvent injected updip can prevent channeling. At rates of depletion below a critical rate,"." no channeling occurs. Unfortunately, in many reservoirs, the critical rate is so low that production of oil at rates below this rate is not economically attractive. And at rates over four times the critical rate, channeling is almost as severe in sands with dip as in horizontal sands. These findings pointed out that, for solvent floods to be generally applicable in recovering oil from all types of reservoirs, new methods of improving their sweep efficiencies are needed. Simultaneous injection of water with the miscible fluid was suggested by Caudle and Dyes7 as a method for improving sweep efficiencies. They theorize that water flowing with the solvent would decrease the effective mobility of the solvent and cause it to contact more oil sand. If, indeed, the water and solvent flowed as a uniform mixture, the process should have the advantages of the high displacement efficiencies characteristic of miscible floods and the high sweep efficiencies of water floods. Thus, the method (at least in theory) would greatly increase the number of reservoirs in which miscible-type displacements would be feasible. A research program was conducted to probe the technical feasibility of the water-solvent process. It

By W. Jolley

Decarburized iron and Fe-3.28 pct Ni alloys were impact and tension tested in the temperature range of ambient to 4°K. It was found that alloying with nickel improves the fracture properties of the ferrite matrix. The improvement in toughness of iron alloyed with nickel is attributed to the effect of the nickel addition on the temperature and strain rate dependence of the yield stress as well as on slip behavior. The Fe-Ni alloy exhibits wavy slip when strained at temperatures down to at least 50°K. This behavior contrasts with that of the unalloyed iron where a change It is a generally accepted fact that of the common alloying elements of steel only nickel and manganese improve both the room-temperature yield strength and the notch impact properties. It has been argued for a number of years that manganese refines the ferrite grain size, the pearlite spacing, and the grain boundary carbides in medium- and low-carbon steels and thereby increases resistance to brittle fracture.&apos;&apos;&apos; This hypothesis recently was confirmed for a 0.04 pct C iron containing manganese, but at the same time from wavy to planar slip occurs at about 120°K. The observed lower temperature and strain rate dependence of the lower yield stress in the Fe-Ni alloy as compared to the unalloyed iron may be attributed to this difference in slip behavior. In contrast to suggestions published previously, transmission electron microscopy showed that the uniform dislocation distributions and the lack of dislocation tangles which are produced by low-temperature straining of bcc materials cannot be attributed to the absence of cross slip at these temperatures. no increase in notch toughness was observed in a decarburized Fe-Mn alloy.3 It thus appears that manganese only increases the toughness of Fe-Mn-C alloys by refining grain boundary carbides and has no toughening effect in carbon-free iron. On the other hand, the mechanism whereby nickel improves toughness has not been established. Hodge et a1.4 have clearly shown that a 3.28 pct Ni addition lowers the impact transition temperature of 0.02 pct C steel approximately 35°C when the grain size is maintained constant. Recently, Wullaert and Tetelman6 stated that nickel refined the grain boundary carbides of an Fe-C alloy and consequently increased the toughness. They also observed the previously reporteda-&apos;

Jan 1, 1969

By Hugh S. Spence

In the winter of 1941-42, muscovite mica was discovered by a young prospector, Justin Purdy, in the township of Mat-tawan, Nipissing District, Ontario, a few miles north of the small settlement of Eau Claire, which lies on the main Transcontinental Highway (No. 17) between Mattawa and North Bay. Muscovite had been known for many years to occur in the general Mattawa region, and various small efforts at production had previously been made by individuals working scattered deposits in the area. These minor activities, however, had never led to production of any consequence or the discovery of any important mica bodies. The Purdy finds were made in a heavily timbered, mountainous area lying about three miles north of the low-lying settled land along the highway, and in a section not hitherto prospected. The mica taken by Purdy and two partners from surface outcrops proved so remarkable in point of size of trimmed sheets that the find attracted considerable attention, and the area surrounding the three claims taken up by the prospectors was quickly blanket-staked by various interests. Though a number of other mica-bearing pegmatite dikes were found later on these stakings, none proved as rich as those on the original Purdy ground; very little commercial mica was obtained from them and attempts to develop them were short-lived. Purdy and his partners sold their initial production to dealers in Ottawa and Hull, where the Canadian mica industry long has centered. Young Purdy, unfortunately was killed in a motor accident in the early summer of 1942. His father continued mining operations for a few months and produced and sold a considerable amount of mica. In October 1942 the Purdy holdings were acquired by lnspiration Mining and Development Co. of Amos, Quebec, which had been active in staking in the area. This company formed a subsidiary, Purdy Mica Mines, Limited, to develop the property. Under the energetic management of Joseph R. Norrie, rapid progress was made, and production soon attained important proportions. Realizing from the outset the unusual character and potential value in the war effort of the Purdy discovery, the Metals Controller, Department of Munitions and Supply, at once arranged with the Department of Mines and Resources for an official geological report on the area, and also drew the attention of the War Production Board in Washington to what seemed likely to prove a highly important source of strategic-quality mica. Officials of WPB were sent up in the Summer of 1942 to inspect the property, and so impressed were they with the possibility that it might become of high

Jan 1, 1948

By Hugh S. Spence

In the winter of 1941-42, muscovite mica was discovered by a young prospector, Justin Purdy, in the township of Mat-tawan, Nipissing District, Ontario, a few miles north of the small settlement of Eau Claire, which lies on the main Transcontinental Highway (No. 17) between Mattawa and North Bay. Muscovite had been known for many years to occur in the general Mattawa region, and various small efforts at production had previously been made by individuals working scattered deposits in the area. These minor activities, however, had never led to production of any consequence or the discovery of any important mica bodies. The Purdy finds were made in a heavily timbered, mountainous area lying about three miles north of the low-lying settled land along the highway, and in a section not hitherto prospected. The mica taken by Purdy and two partners from surface outcrops proved so remarkable in point of size of trimmed sheets that the find attracted considerable attention, and the area surrounding the three claims taken up by the prospectors was quickly blanket-staked by various interests. Though a number of other mica-bearing pegmatite dikes were found later on these stakings, none proved as rich as those on the original Purdy ground; very little commercial mica was obtained from them and attempts to develop them were short-lived. Purdy and his partners sold their initial production to dealers in Ottawa and Hull, where the Canadian mica industry long has centered. Young Purdy, unfortunately was killed in a motor accident in the early summer of 1942. His father continued mining operations for a few months and produced and sold a considerable amount of mica. In October 1942 the Purdy holdings were acquired by lnspiration Mining and Development Co. of Amos, Quebec, which had been active in staking in the area. This company formed a subsidiary, Purdy Mica Mines, Limited, to develop the property. Under the energetic management of Joseph R. Norrie, rapid progress was made, and production soon attained important proportions. Realizing from the outset the unusual character and potential value in the war effort of the Purdy discovery, the Metals Controller, Department of Munitions and Supply, at once arranged with the Department of Mines and Resources for an official geological report on the area, and also drew the attention of the War Production Board in Washington to what seemed likely to prove a highly important source of strategic-quality mica. Officials of WPB were sent up in the Summer of 1942 to inspect the property, and so impressed were they with the possibility that it might become of high

Jan 1, 1948

By J. Moore Samuel

INTRODUCTORY BEFORE the year 1909, no measurements of dust losses and flue gases had been made at the Copper Queen Reduction Works, at Douglas, Ariz. At that time the "unaccounted" loss of the smelter had reached a figure, that drew attention to the possibility of large stack losses. The measurement of dust losses had not been studied much at that time, and estimates of dust losses, with a few exceptions, were the results of tests by what has been termed "chemical methods," that is, the aspiration and filtration through cotton, wool or some similar medium of a few liters of gas, the dust being weighed on a chemical balance, and the volume of gas computed from the volume of aspirator water. The possible error of this method is enormous, and the probable error much too large for reliable results. Since the object of these tests was to discover not only the extent of the dust losses, but also the possibility of profitably reducing the same, it was decided that the method adopted must have the following characteristics: 1. The sample of gas taken for filtration must be representative of the whole volume of gas, that is to say, it must have the same dust content. This condition will be fulfilled in all cases if the gas sample is drawn off without change of rate of flow. Then it will contain the same proportion of entrained or suspended particles of dust as the original gas. In the case of flue gases which contain only fume, at a temperature above or near the sublimation point, this condition need not be adhered to since the fume will not behave as entrained particles, but more nearly as a true gas. Consequently the gas sample in this case only may be drawn off at any rate of flow. 2. The gas sample taken must be large enough (a) to yield sufficient dust to permit of accurate chemical and physical examination; (b) so that the ratio of the total volume of gas passing through the flue to the volume of gas sample taken shall not be too large.

Jan 6, 1916

TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND MEMBERS Of THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS GENTLEMEN Submitted herewith are the reports of the Treasurer for the year 1947 and the reports of the following standing committees Membership, Admissions, Papers and Publications, MINING AND METALLURGY (Magazine), and Library 75th Anniversary Celebration The founding of the Institute at Wilkes-Barre, Pa, in 1871, vas appropriately commemorated by a three-day Celebration, March 17, 18 and 19, 1947, at The Waldorf-Astoria, in New York City The Celebration had been scheduled for the preceding September but had been postponed, perforce, because of conflict with meetings of the Assembly of the United Nations The Celebration immediately preceded the Annual Meeting which was deferred from the usual February dates The proceedings took the form of a "World Conference on Mineral Resources " More than three thousand people, including eight hundred ladies, participated in the proceedings in one way or another Twenty-eight foreign countries were represented, some of them by five or six individual delegates Likewise, official representatives were designated by fifty institutions of higher learning in the United States A special 820-page Anniversary Volume entitled "Seventy-five Years. of Progress in the Mineral Industry,".(which

Jan 1, 1952

Geological Survey of the State of Maine, Orono, Me. Joseph Conrad Twinem, State Geologist In the years 1837, 1838, 1839, Charles T. Jackson made three reports on the geology of Maine Reports were made in 1861-1862 by C. H Hitchcock entitled, respectively, "General Report on the Geology of Maine" and "Geology of Maine." These old reports are now out of print

Jan 1, 1933

By Gilbert Santoro

In this study tantalum carbide filaments of various compositions in the fcc region were prepared by heating a tantalum wire in a measured amount of hydrocarbon vapor. Such properties as tensile strength, transverse-rupture strength, microhard-ness, lattice parameter, electrical resistivity, and magnetic susceptibility were measured as a function of carbon content. Some of these properties showed a maximum or a minimum between a carbon-to-tantalum molar ratio of 0.80 and 0.85, the composition range at which the color changes from metallic gray to gold. The recent literature has shown that in the large homogeneity range for the fcc phase of the Ta-C system there is a marked variation for such properties as microhardness,&apos; electrical resistivity, &apos; thermodynamic properties,z&apos;3 lattice parameter and superconductivity. In addition to the technological interest of these variations within a single phase, important theoretical benefits may ensue from a continuous investigation of properties vs stoichiometry in tantalum carbide and other refractory defect compounds, for example the effect of the metal-metal distance and crystal structure upon bond formation and electronic structure. Whether there is a similar variation of the tensile strength is of practical importance. Of theoretical interest would be the knowledge of how the magnetic susceptibility varies with carbon composition. Both of these properties, as well as the transverse-rupture strength, were determined for tantalum carbide filaments in the fcc phase region. The lattice parameter, the electrical resistivity, and the microhardness were also investigated and compared with values appearing in the literature. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Material Preparation. Tantalum carbide specimens of various carbon content were prepared by statically carburizing high-purity tantalum filaments in measured quantities of pure hydrocarbon gas. The filaments, which were 10 mil in diameter and 20 or 40 cm long, were heated by their own resistance at temperatures from 1800" to 2200°C using alternating current in some cases and direct current in others. Tantalum wire from two sources was used. One had a reported purity of 99.96 wt pct Ta. The ingot from which this wire was drawn had been electron beam-melted as the final step in its purification. The reported purity of the other wire, which was prepared by a powder metallurgical process, was 99.88 wt pct Ta. The impurities of both tantalum sources are listed in Table I. Spec-trographic-grade toluene or research-grade propane was used as the source of carbon. The apparatus for the carburization of the filaments is shown schematically in Fig. 1. The system was evacuated to 1 x l0-&apos; mm of Hg when using the electron beam-melted tantalum and to less than 1 p when using the less-pure tantalum. Neither the difference in the base vacuum, nor in the hydrocarbon gas, nor in the tantalum filaments resulted in any detectable difference in the properties studied in this work. However, only the carbides prepared from the higher-purity tantalum were used in the magnetic-susceptibility determinations. Once the base vacuum had been reached, the system was flushed with the hydrocarbon and re-evacuated. For any desired composition of the carbide, hydrocarbon gas was allowed to leak into a constant-volume flask to a predetermined pressure. These pressures were measured by a Cartesian diver-type mercury gage with a range from 0 to 20 mm and with a scale expanded to nine times. The hydrocarbon gas was allowed into the reaction tube and the filament was quickly raised to the reaction temperature. The slack in the filament due to thermal expansion was taken up by drawing out the movable electrode with a screw mechanism. The filaments were kept at temperature from a few minutes to 200 hr. In the majority of cases the heating time was 6 hr. The reaction tube was cooled by cascading water on its outer surface. By means of an ammeter and a voltmeter the electrical resistance at the reaction

Jan 1, 1963

By Paul Torrey

IN his recent article, Stanley C. Herold described some of the principles involved in oil-field rejuvenation. The purpose of this paper is to present certain facts, based upon observations of systematic water flooding of oil sands in the Bradford and Allegany fields of northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York, which, it is believed, will partially substantiate Mr. Herold&apos;s opinions. The writer gratefully acknowledges his obligation to the Forest Oil Corpn., the Kendall Refining Co., the Petroleum Reclamation Co., W. J. Healey, of Bradford, Pa., and the Producers Oil Corpn., of Olean, N. Y., for information included in this article; and he is especially indebted to Jerry B. Newby, of the Petroleum Reclamation Co., for helpful suggestions and criticism in the preparation of the paper. It is obvious that, in the calculation of mathematical formulas for the prediction of oil recovery, uniform conditions must be assumed; otherwise, the applicability of the results of such work will be, by necessity, restricted to the area or individual property for which they were designed. Geologic and physical conditions are so variable throughout the fields where water flooding is practiced that it is difficult to devise methods that can be universally applicable. However, it is believed that there are certain fundamental principles which, when applied with specific modifications designed to meet the conditions existing in local areas or individual properties, may yield considerably greater recoveries of oil.

Jan 1, 1927

By David K. Hylbert

This study investigated roof falls in room-and-pillar drift coal mines in eastern Kentucky and utilized geologic methods for Predicting roof conditions in advance of mining. In the Highsplint mine, the roof was classified in four categories or conditions: Condition A and B (Laminated Shale); Condition C (Rolling Sandstone with Shale in Pockets); and Condition D (Zone of Major Sandstone Roll(s)). Structure contour and isopach maps of the Darby coal bed and associated immediate roof rocks were used to project axial trends of the sandstone roof. Trend mapping in the mine and on outcrop provided more detailed control for roof projections.

Jan 1, 1979

By E. A. Anderson, C. W. Siller, Gerald Edmunds

In the pressurc die-casting of zinc alloys it is customary to force the molten alloy under high pressure into a permanent steel die by means of a plunger moving in a bushing that has a clearance on the diameter of the order of 0.002 in. Successful operation of the plunger type of machine requires the presence in the zinc alloy of certain percentages of aluminum. Without these aluminum additions, the normal reaction of molten zinc on ferrous materials causes sticking of the plunger arid a complcte shutdown of the equipment. All of the zinc alloys used for pressure dir-rnsting today contain approximately 4 per cent of aLUminum, which is more than suffieient to make plunger opcration feasible. The clearancc bet,ween the plunger and its bushing is an important matter. As the space bccomes larger, there is a loss in effective metal pressure. Ordinary gray cast iron served fairly well and is still uscd in some machines. However, the rate at which the plunger c1earance. increases with this material is considered by many to be far too great. There is, therefore, a serious interest in finding new matcrinls more: capable of retaining the desired clearance during long periods of use. Today marly die casters are using special materials for plungers and bushings selected by the somewhat expensive and time-consuming test of actual experience. An analysis of the problem reveals two possible end points of plunger. operation: (1) the building up of zinc-alloy plunger-material reaction products in sufficient bulk to cause sticking and (2) rapid solution, wear or erosion, all of which will increase the clearance to an undesirable extent. If neither of these takes place, the pluriger will operatc for a long time, of course.. The authors have developed a laboratory apparat,us in which the action of a plunger moving in a bushing immersed in molten zinc alloy could be simulated closely. Such a machine made possible a more rapid and less expensive survey of the available construction materials and an analysis of the specific alloying reactions taking place in the clearance area.

Jan 1, 1940