Search Documents

By E. O. Wagner, V. F. Parry, J. B. Goodman

The low-rank coals containing 10 to 50 pct natural bed moisture represent over half of the tonnage reserve of the available solid fuels of the United States, but only about 2 pct of United States coal production is derived from these fuels. Increased utilization of these large reserves will result if the bed moisture can be removed at the mine in high-speed low-cost processes. This paper presents a theoretical and experimental study of the factors affecting high-speed drying of coal dusts. The time required to heat particles of coal is proportional to the square of their diameter, and it is calculated that the probable time in minutes is equal to 6D2. In other words, a 1/16 in. coal particle should be heated to drying temperature in 1.5 to 2.0 sec. Likewise, 1/8 in. particles should be heated in about 6 sec. The net heat required to dry subbituminous coal and lignite varies from 240 to 375 Btu per pound, depending upon the moisture removed, and this heat can be obtained from 42 to 61 cu ft of hot gases at 600°F. The necessary heat also can be obtained from 7.5 to 11 cu ft of gas at 2000°F. A description of the design and operation of a pilot plant for flash drying coal dusts is presented. This plant dries 1/16 in. by 0 coal dust in suspension in 1.5 to 2 sec with 600°F gas at a rate of 1300 lb per hour per square foot of column area and operates continuously at an efficiency of about 85 pct. The design and operation of another pilot plant for drying 1/8 in. by 0 coal dusts Is also described. This unit dries coal in the fluidized state using the sensible heat of gases introduced at 2000°F and processes coal at a rate of about 1500 Ib per hour per square foot of grate area at 85 to 90 pct efficiency. Over 90 pct of the bed moisture of low-rank coal dusts can be removed by the methods described. The heating value of lignite can be increased 45 pet and that if subbituminous coal 25 pct in a few seconds. The physical and chemical properties of coal dusts before and after drying are presented in the report, and it is shown that the bulk density of the dried coal is equal to that of the raw coal. This phenomenon makes it possible to ship 25 to 45 pct more heat in a railroad car with consequent savings in freight costs. Introduction For several years the Subbituminous Coal and Lignite Section of the Coal Branch of the Bureau of Mines at Golden, Colo., has been concerned with upgrading low-rank coals by removal of natural bed moisture. These fuels contain 10 to 50 pct total moisture, which reduces their industrial value considerably. In 1938, investigations were initiated in cooperation with the University of North Dakota to study drying of lignite by the Fleissner process with heat derived from high-pressure saturated steam. Two pilot plants were built, and two reports were published giving the results of this work.l,2 It was demonstrated that lump lignite and subbituminous coal

Jan 1, 1950

By T. lkeda, R. S. Montgomery. A. Hara

Actual test specimens used in the previous laboratory wear investigation,' were fully characterized and the data is given in Table 1. Most of the carbides tested could be placed into groups of similar mean grain size. When the wear rates of the members of these groups were plotted as functions of their hardnesses, a family of curves resulted; curves for groups containing data from larger grained composites were at lower wear rates at the same hardnesses. Most specimens tested showed only A-1 porosity (ASTM Standard designa-

Jan 1, 1971

By Robert L. Dean

THE pioneer mining company in Idaho to use airplanes extensively is the Yellow Pine project at Stibnite now owned by the Bradley interests. From 1901 to 1903 the gold boom at Thunder Mountain, in central Idaho overflowed to adjacent areas, prospectors discovering cinnabar and stibnite near the present site of Stibnite in Valley County. The workings were practically abandoned by 1911 through lack of capital and high costs of transportation on pack train roads over several mountain passes open only five months each year. During the World War there was some prospecting and production, and in 1921 twelve of the original companies were merged. Small-scale mining up to 1927 proved that an expenditure of several million dollars would be necessary to operate profitably. These properties were purchased by the Bradley interests during the period of 1927 to 1930. In 1927, there was no mining equipment except hand tools, no telephones, and only one building. Two mountain

Jan 1, 1935

By J. Rourke, F. S. Minshall, E. G. Zukas, C. M. Fowler, O&apos

The Hugoniot curves were determined for Fe-Si alloys containing up to 7 wt pct (13 at. pct) Si. The pressure of the transition increased as the silicon content of the alloy increased. Single crystals of 2.9 wt pct Si-Fe were also studied. The pressure of the transition was not dependent on crystallo-graphic orientation. All of the Neumann bands (mechanical twins) were attributable to (112) planes but not all of the {112} planes showed twin markings. A thorough study of the iron Hugoniot (the relationship between specific volume and pressure) under plane wave shock loading revealed a pressure transition at about 130 kbar shock pressure. The results of this investigation were reported by Bancroft, Peterson, and inshall1 in 1956. At the time of this discovery, it was felt that this was probably the a, to y transition normally found in iron and many of its alloys. Subsequently a number of iron alloy systems were surveyed in which the alloying element has a considerable effect on the normal a, to y transformation. The influence of carbon and nickel and/or chromium have already been reported.2,3 At the present time, there appears to be some doubt that this pressure transition is the usual a, to y transition In this study, Fe-Si alloys containing up to 7 wt pct (13 at. pct) Si were chosen for several reasons. To the present, the transition has been found only in iron-base alloys which were originally in the a, phase (bcc). Secondly, the y loop at atmospheric pressure extends to only about 2.5 wt pct Si. If the transition were a, to y, then one might expect a rather drastic pressure effect for alloys containing more than 2.5 wt pct Si. Finally, single crystals of Fe-Si alloys large enough for shock loading studies are readily available thereby making it quite easy to determine the effect of crystal orientation on the transition pressure and on the twinning behavior of the alloy. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Fe-Si alloys containing up to 7 wt pct Si were produced by normal vacuum casting procedures. Single crystals of Fe-2.9 wt pct Si were purchased from Monocrystals Co., Cleveland, Ohio. The orientations of these crystals were determined and samples cut so that the shock wave would be parallel (to within 1.5 deg) to either the (loo), (Ill), or (112) principal orientations. Three distinct experimental testing techniques were used. First, the pin technique, described elsewhere,4 was used to determine the transition pressure for the polycrystalline alloys as well as for the (111) and (112) orientations of the 2.9 wt pct Si single crystals. Secondly, the recovery studies, described in detail in an earlier paper,2 were used for determining the effect of alloy composition and crystal orientation on the plastic II compression-plastic I rarefaction interaction zone for several specific shock pressures. Finally, measurements of pressures above the two-wave threshold were made on the polycrystalline alloys so that more complete Hugoniot curves could be constructed for this alloy system. The optical techniques described by Rice et al.5 were used to measure the shock and free surface velocities of the samples from which the Hugoniot data were obtained. This method is applicable only in the single wave region, since velocities are obtained from the measured total transit times of the disturbances through measured sample thicknesses.

Jan 1, 1963

Discussion of the paper of C. W. WASHBURNE, presented at the Pittsburgh meeting, October, 1914, and printed in Bulletin No. 93,. September, 1914, pp. 2365 to 2378. ROSWELL H. JOHNSON, Pittsburgh, Pa.-It seems to me rather important to bear in mind one thing which is sometimes lost sight of, that the marine sedimentary rocks are laid down in water. We have to start with an initial charge of water. That being so, and the surface tension between the water and the -oil being as slight as it is, as referred to by Mr. Washburne,. the phenomena of capillarity are bound to be most important as between the liquid surface and the gas surface. So far as the liquid-gas surface is concerned, capillarity, in my opinion, is of the utmost importance, and it seems to me this paper of Mr. Washburne's is of great value to us for that reason. Starting out as we have, with our attention concentrated upon gravitational sorting, we have had to wait for the discussion of movement furnished by Munn, and this discussion of capillarity by Washburne, for a more balanced view of the situation. It seems to me that in the accumulation of oil and gas we have a problem of the interworking of gravitational sorting, capillarity, viscosity, immiscibility, and movement. All five things seem to me to be important. I would have expected Mr. Washburne to have given a fuller treatment of the relation of movement to capillarity. In my own experiments I find that gravitation and capillarity alone seem remarkably impotent when everything is at rest, but if I furnish a little movement, gravitation and capillarity step in and accomplish a great many results that one would not expect. Take a horizontal tube and fill a portion at the middle with an ordinary sand saturated with oil, and then put water and sand in each end, and the tube may remain at rest a very long time without that oil distributing itself along the top of the tube. But with a little motion that oil will gradually work up to the upper side. So gravitation and capillarity alone are rather impotent unless they get this element of movement. It would not be necessary to have very extensive movement, but some degree of movement is essential. Now if natural gas, in addition to the method of origin by the action of bacteria on organic matter in mud, may also arise by pressure at great depth, as the overburden is added, a great deal of motion may result. I think more motion is produced in this way than by the descent of meteoric waters.

Jan 4, 1915

By E. S. Grumell

THE correct sampling of coal and coke is becoming important to an ever increasing number of producers and consumers. This, therefore, may be an opportune moment to examine where we stand with regard to existing and proposed methods. In this paper an attempt will be made to review, as briefly as possible, some of the considerable amount of painstaking research which has been done in the last 10 years, and which has unquestionably led to a much better understanding of the subject. In so doing we shall try, on the one hand, to make clear where substantial progress has been made, and on the other hand, to draw attention to points that require further investigation. The paper is divided into sections in order to emphasize the major divisions of the subject; further, in order to retain this emphasis, detailed consideration of some of the points has been relegated to appendixes. No attempt has been made to give a complete survey of the literature, as this has already been done by L. A. Bushell.2 The following abbrevia-tions will be used: A.E., average error; P.E., probable error; S.W.R., size-weight ratio; B.S.I., British Standards Institution.

Jan 1, 1939

By A. G. Suydam

Ancient as is the art of producing copper, so ancient is one of its eternal problems: refractories. Looking backward, in the light of present knowledge, clouded though it be, one cannot avoid a sense of profound respect for the patience, acumen and courage of those who have wrought so successfully despite difficulties, a more accurate understanding of which seems merely to accentuate. The problem of refractories arises from the necessity for constructing containers in which to bring natural ores into thermal solution in order to effect reduction and separation of the valuable metal content and free it of undesirable contamination while producing a waste slag. The very forces known to produce thermal solution of sufficient liquidity are necessarily destructive of exposed refractory linings in proportions varying inversely with thermal conductivity, directly with the porosity and ease of fluxing of the refractories used, and directly with the temperatures employed. Beyond this, mechanical forces are set up within the refractory lining incident to rapid heating or cooling, shrinkage at high temperatures, and unequal or excessive loading, that frequently pass the elastic limit, causing spalling or distortion. The effects of these forces are often accentuated by the necessity of providing at the same time as hot a bath and as cool a container as are consistent with fuel economy. Evolution in the Use of Refractories Clay Brick.—Fireclay and clay refractories had to yield wherever they were in contact with slags rich in basic oxides, first because of the combining power of those oxides with free silica and secondly because of the tendency of alumina to form either aluminates or alumina-silicates of varying complexity. Of no less importance, the incipient fusion point was low as compared with good clay brick of today, while the brick lacked strength at high temperatures. Expansion was slight, therefore it was difficult to make and maintain tight walls, roof, or bottom. However, the spalling tendency was low because of some of these properties and clay brick have retained their place in roasting furnaces, boiler furnace linings, and in the upper walls of some of the reverberatory types such as some refining, anode and wire-bar furnaces. They have served often and most efficiently for hot patching.

Jan 1, 1934

By James Douglas

American metallurgical inventions have not always been absolute metallurgical improvements, if accurate work be the standard of comparison; but when we review the new methods and machinery which have been generally accepted, we find that some have become essential to the metallurgist the world over, while all are so admirably adapted to the peculiar requirements of our local conditions that they have entirely supplanted foreign processes and appliances. The necessity of diminishing to the utmost the employment of labor (owing to its great cost), and the inexorable requirements of our modern joint-stock corporate system, which demands that large quantities be worked up in order to secure large returns, regardless betimes of waste, have been the impelling motives to invention, and indicate the special directions in which originality has been exercised. As might be anticipated, the West has been the most fertile field of inventions by miners and metallurgists, by reason of its great and varied mineral wealth, locked up in ores sometimes lean and often of intricate composition, which must be profitably handled, at a great distance from fuel and from building-materials, by workmen who are paid wages very much higher than those received by their fellow-workmen of like craft in Europe, and in some localities twice as high as those paid for like services even in the eastern States. Moreover, paradoxical as it may seem, the technical inexperience of many of those engaged in mining and metallurgy has helped rather than hindered the progress of invention; fop while there may have been ignorance, there has been radical freedom from

Jan 1, 1894

By M. G. F. Söhnlein

IN THE metallurgical treatment of sulfide silver-tin ores mined at Oruro, Potosi, and Chocaya, the most important and difficult step is chloridizing-roasting. The ores are chiefly mined from veins in rhyolite, a detailed description of which can be found in most textbooks on ore deposits. The chief gangue minerals are Pyrite and quartz, and the silver content is derived from tetrahedrite, jamesonite, stibnite, and cylindrite. Most of the tin is present in the form of a rather impure cassiterite, which forms microcrystalline aggregates of varying richness with quartz and pyrite; occasionally, some tin is found as stannite, cylindrite, and other complex sulfantimonates. The silver content of the minerals that compose the ore is approximately as follows: Pyrite, 3 to 5 oz. per ton; jamesonite, 30 to 50 oz. per ton; stibnite, 30 to 150 oz. per ton; cylindrite, 200 to 300 oz. per-Jon; tetrahedrite, 500 to 3000 oz. per ton. Occasionally, some ruby silver ore is found, but it is very rare. In the mines of Oruro, which are the deepest in the sulfide zone, tetrahedrite has nearly disappeared, stibnite, jamesonite, and, in the deepest levels, cylindrite taking its place. At present, there are six mills treating this ore, two at Potosi, two at Chocaya, one at Poopo, and one at Machacamarca. The ore is crushed dry, given a chloridizing roast, leached with water and hyposulfite solution (or with brine) to extract gold, silver and copper, and concentrated for tin with or' without regrinding.

Jan 8, 1920

By Arthur F. Colombo

The selective - deslime - flotation process developed by the Federal Bureau of Mines as part of its goal of maintaining an adequate supply of minerals to meet national economic and strategic needs is described. The operating parameters for the selective flocculation - cationic flotation of oxidized taconites from the western Mesabi range in Minnesota are discussed. Data from the operation of a 410 kg/hr (900 lb/hr) pilot plant employing reclaimed water are summarized for 2 types of oxidized taconites.

Jan 1, 1979

By A. Eilers

The use of the bag-house for filtering out fumes produced in certain metallurgical operations is not new in America. There are no patents in force at this time, to my knowledge, which might hinder such use. Up to about 25 years ago the bag-house was only employed in connection with either zinc-works, which produced the oxides, to be sold for paint, or as an auxiliary in extracting lead from high-grade oxidized ores and from galena-concentrates in the Missouri and neighboring lead-regions; this work being then done in the Scotch or American hearths and in very low slag-furnaces, in all of which was produced an excessive amount of oxides which were also finally sold as paints. The literature1 on the above is abundant in text-books and periodical publications. The first large bag-house to be used permanently in connection with lead blast-furnaces was erected, as far as I am aware, about 1887 at the Globe smelting Co.'s works at Denver, Colo., under the Lewis-Bartlett patents. The brick flue, running from the blast-furnaces to the bag-house, was only a few

Jan 1, 1913

By T. S. Spicer, C. C. Wright, R. G. Bowman

IN recent years considerable publicity has been given to the problem of atmospheric pollution by fuel-burning equipment. Legislation has been stimulated and smoke ordinances have been enacted, the provisions of which show a definite trend toward stricter control of the emissions not only from the stacks of industrial fuel users but also from the chimneys of domestic consumers. As a result of war conditions, some slackening in the enforcement of these ordinances may be noted, but this is only a temporary expediency caused by the changes necessary in the distribution of the nation's fuel supplies and difficulties in securing the necessary equipment. Previous trends may be expected to continue in the postwar period. Largely because of the consumer demand for automatic heat, but partly because of the legislation against smoke emission, there has been a marked increase in the use of domestic underfeed stokers with the past decade. When correctly adjusted and operated, these units reduce the smoke emission materially, so that even the high-volatile bituminous coals may be burned with little or no emission of objectionable smoke. Unfortunately, however, the use of the domestic underfeed stoker introduces another problem; namely, fly-ash. PRODUCTION OF FLY-ASH The term "fly-ash" is a misnomer, since the fly material is generally a mixture of small carbonaceous particles varying from green coal to coke, and inorganic particles ranging from fluffy ash to small particles of fused clinker. For want of a more comprehensive name, however, the term fly-ash is used throughout this paper to include all the fly material. Even with hand-fired furnaces a certain amount of fly-ash is produced, which necessitates periodic cleaning of the boiler flues or furnace radiator, the smoke pipe, and occasionally the chimney itself. With stoker operations the amount of fly-ash is increased many fold, because of the higher velocity of air travel through the fuel bed. Frequently the amount of this fly-ash attains such proportions as to constitute a definite nuisance to the householder and his neighbors and distracts very materially from the otherwise automatic or semi-automatic performance of the stoker. Virtually all the boilers and hot-air furnaces marketed in the domestic field

Jan 1, 1944

By Maurice Ewing, L. Don Leet

Assuming that wave velocities in seismic prospecting increase as a continuous linear function of the depth, the authors have derived formulas for computing, from two time-distance observations, the amount of velocity increase, depth of penetration and a graphical determination of the path of the vibrations, and have discussed the ground, reflected and refracted waves. The application of the formulas is illustrated numerically. Earlier Investigations Observations of the energy propagated from the center of an earthquake disturbance have been used to give information about the velocities and paths of elastic waves in the interior of the earth. One method of accomplishing this depends on the use of the times of transmission. Herglotz(7) § and Bateman(3) obtained a solution of the integral equation involved, which determines the velocity of propagation at any point as a function of the distance from the center of the earth, with no assumption as to the manner in which the velocity of the disturbance varies with depth below the earth's surface. The expressions on which the value of the time and the form of the ray of propagation depend contain an unintegrable definite integral, involving the velocity as an unknown function of the distance from the center of the earth. Wiechert and Zoppritz(15) obtained a manageable form for this function by assuming a law of variation which required a constant curvature form for the path within each of a succession of concentric spherical layers of the earth. C. G. Knott(9) worked out the problem for the first time by an absolutely rigorous method from the data of observation (Zoppritz-Turner tables), without making any assumptions as to the functional relationship connecting the speed of propagation and the distance from the earth's center. His method is a numerical solution of an integral equation, giving each velocity and the corresponding distance from the center of the earth in figures.

Jan 1, 1932

By E. J. Westerman

Prealloyed powders of nickel-base superalloys were sintered to almost theoretical density in short sinterilzg times. It was ascertained that the rapid densification was caused by a small amount of liquid phase at the grain boundaries, which apparently ovriginated by incipient melting at temperatures considerably below those at which macroscopic melting of the compacts occurred. An increase in the quantity of liquid phase present during sintering-, caused by an increase in the sintering temperature, increased the densification rate, but resulted in a decrease in the room temperature tensile propevties. NICKEL-base superalloys, which presently comprise an important group of high temperature alloys, are difficult to fabricate by the forging, casting, and machining operations presently used. As it was felt that fabrication by powder metallurgical techniques might offer advantages in the production of super-alloy parts, a basic investigation of the most important process in the sequence of powder metallurgical operations, the sintering process, was undertaken on Rene 41, Udirnet 500, and Nimonic 90 and 100 powders. These alloys age harden by the precipitation of the ? Ni, rA1,Ti) phase. Nickel-base superalloys of the Nimonic type have been fabricated by powder metallurgical methods, and their mechanical properties reported in detail.' Other alloys for high temperature service which have been fabricated by powder metallurgical methods include a Co-base alloy of the Vitallium type;2,3 alloys with a Co-Ni-Fe-Cr base;4 stainless steels;5'6 Cr-W-Co alloys;" and a Co-base alloy, X-40.8 METAL POWDERS The superalloy powders investigated were: a) a prealloyed at.omized Rene 41 powder; b) a prealloyed atomized Udirnet 500 powder; c) a prealloyed atom-

Jan 1, 1962

By C. W. Crispell

The four nomograms presented in this article were designed to simplify and make more rapid the calculations connected with the compression and transmission of air. The formulae involved are rather complicated, but the graphic solutions are simple; their use requires an ability to follow explicit directions and to interpolate values on a logarithmic sca1e. † For the sake of convenience, the nomograms will be divided into two classes, and the purpose and accuracy of each will be discussed. Power foR CompREssion It is frequently desirable to determine the horsepower necessary to compress a given amount of free air from atmospheric pressure to a certain final pressure. The nomograms in Fig. 1 and 2 present a rapid method of calculating the horsepower required to compress 1 cu. ft. of free air per minute by single or two-stage compression. The general formula for the horsepower required to compress air adiabatically is: S X 144 PVn [(P')n-1/sn -1 (1) where: P = absolute atmospheric pressure at compressor, in pounds per square inch. P' = final absolute pressure of compressed air, -in pounds per square inch. V = volume of free air compressed per minute, in cubic feet. S = number of stages. n = exponent of the compression curve.

Jan 1, 1918

By Robert L. Braun, Arthur E. Lewis

A contained nuclear explosion is proposed to produce a chimney of broken ore well below the water table. After the chimney is filled with water and reaches hydrostatic equilibrium, oxygen, under pressure, is introduced near the bottom of the mass of broken rock. The increase in solubility of oxygen at high hydrostatic pressure is sufficient to initiate the oxidation of the primary sulfides, chalcopyrite and pyrite. The oxidation and dissolution of these sulfides produces enough heat to increase the temperature of the ore and water in the chimney as much as 100° to 150°C. The rate of dissolution of chalcopyrite exposed to oxygen-saturated solutions becomes so rapid under these conditions that the rate of copper extraction becomes limited by the accessibility of chalcopyrite to the solutions. Means of solution control and distribution of oxygen in the chimney have been examined in some detail. A calculational model utilizing experimentally determined solubility rates is utilized to estimate the temperature rise in the chimney and the rate of copper recovery as a function of initial temperature, sulfide content of ore, and size of ore particles. It is concluded that the high pressure and high temperature obtainable in a large ore mass broken by nuclear explosives promise the rapid and economic recovery of minerals not considered soluble by conventional in-situ leaching methods. The method should be broadly applicable to the kinds of deep deposits that must be depended on for future production and with minimum disruption of the environment.

Jan 1, 1974

By Carl D. Broadbent

In 1956, Kennecott Copper Corp. instituted a slope mechanics program. Its objective was to obtain effi-ient and safe pit slopes. Since then, Kennecott has onducted a great deal of research into the area, most otably at the Kimbley Pit. This paper, which describes the transitional work at this period and draws from the pertinent experimental work done by others, paves the way for the next step of the program: refining the design process and applying it for profit. The goal of slope mechanics is to achieve efficient and safe pit slopes. In the case of ultimate mine slopes, the objective is to minimize the stripping ratio by steepening the slopes to their maximum stable limit. On the other hand, the inclination of working slopes is normally established by operating space requirements and the function of slope mechanics should be the continuous surveillance of slope conditions to assure long-term stability and provide timely warning of impending slides so that corrective measures may be incorporated in production planning. In 1956, Kennecott instituted a program to provide

Jan 1, 1970

By P. van Meurs

This paper describes a technique which permits visual observation of oil displacement processes througlrout the interior of a porous structure as thick as 2 in. A model having glass walls is filled with finely powdered glass. Such a model becomes completely transparent if the powdered glass pack is saturated with an oil having the same refractive index as the glass. When water or gar, with a refractive index different from that of the oil (glass) is injected, the model becomes opaque in the space occupied by the water (gar). visual observation and photography of these displacement processes are thus rendered possible. The following processes have been studied: (I) displacement of oil by water (linear drive) in a homo-geneous formation and in a stratified formation, (2) water flooding (five-spot well pattern), (3) solution gas-drive process, and (4) oil-bank formation. INTRODUCTION Most of the scaled model experiments heretofore carried out in the Koninklijke/Shell Laboratorium, Amsterdam, have been done in steel containers, in which oil-saturated sand packs represented the oil-bearing formation. In such experiments, for instance those on the displacement of oil by water, the cumulative oil production was measured as a function of the cumulative water injection. In order to interpret the measured production data, a need has for some time been felt for a means of observing visually what happens in the course of such experiments. Some information of this kind was obtained earlier by observing the water-oil distribution in various cross sections of the sand after the conclusion of the experiment.' However, the technique used did not guarantee that the fluid distribution remained undisturbed. Moreover, the procedure was somewhat elaborate and the information obtained limited. Therefore a new technique has been developed, which is described below. DESCRIPTION OF EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE AND APPARATUS Glass models simulating part of an oil reservoir are filled with ground Pyrex glass of a specific grain size, representing the porous structure of the prototype. Before an experiment is started, the porous formation has to be saturated completely with an oil having exactly the same refractive index as the Pyrex glass powder. All light-scattering surfaces of the glass grains become invisible and the formation is then transparent. If the oil is displaced by another fluid (e.g. by water in a water-drive experiment, or by gas liberated from the oil in a solution gas-drive experiment) the formation becomes opaque in the region where the oil is expelled from the rock.* The back of the apparatus is painted black and illumination is from the front; therefore, in the photographs of the experiments, the oil-bearing formation appears black, whereas the water- or gas-invaded areas are white.

Jan 1, 1958

By Donald W. Mitchell, John Nagy, Edwin M. Murphy

In 1957 research was initiated in the U.S. Bureau of Mines experimental coal mine near Pittsburgh, Pa., to study factors affecting foam generation and transport, to evaluate the effectiveness of high-expansion foam for controlling mine fires, and to develop techniques for applying the method under U.S. mining conditions. These investigations showed that high-expansion foam containing at least 0.2 oz of water per cu ft of foam is effective in controlling experimental underground fires burning coal, wood, and oil. Sometimes the fire was completely extinguished, but more often, it was brought under sufficient control to permit either a direct attack on the fire with a stream of water or loading of the hot material into cars. A progress report prepared in July 1958 summarized the initial achievements of the USBM experiments. Since then other phases of the foam-plug method for attacking fires have been studied in the laboratory and in the mine. Previous studies by British engineers of the foam-plug method for fighting mine fires indicated that high-expansion foam was effective in controlling experimental timber fires in an underground passageway. Their subsequent work pertained to the practical aspects of fighting large fires within a mining area with a foam-plug.

Jan 9, 1960

By AIME AIME

COUNCIL* PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL. JAMES F. KEMP NEW YORK, N. Y.. (Term expires February, 1913.) VICE-PRESIDENTS OF THE COUNCIL. S. B. CHRISTY BERKELEY, CAL. R. V. NORRIS WILKES-BARRE, PA. GARDNER F. WIILLIAMS WASHINGTON, D. C. (Term expires February, 1913.) . KARL EILERS NEW YORK, N. Y. WALDEMAR LINDGREN WASHINGTON, D. C. BENJAMIN B. THAYER NEW YORK, N. Y. (Term expires February, 1914.)

Jul 1, 1912