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By LEE H. CORNELL

Drilling activity in Kansas during 1945 continued at an accelerated pace to meet the demands of war; 1810 tests were drilled as compared with 1856 tests the previous year, 1771 tests in 1943, and 1516 tests in 1942. During the year 31 new oil pools and 10 new gas pools were discovered. Of a total of 364 wildcats drilled, 323 were dry; and of 1446 tests drilled in pools, 825 were oil wells, 197 gas wells, and 425 dry holes.

Jan 1, 1946

By Weldon B. Smith

When faced with excavating vast amounts of overburden at its surface coal mining operation in Centralia, Wash., the Washington Irrigation and Development Co. (Widco) chose to utilize a bucket wheel excavator and shiftable conveyor system. In the early 1970s, Widco-a subsidiary of the Washington Water Power Co.-held reserves of sub-bituminous C coal estimated at some 180 million tons (200 million st). Subsequent investigation of the overlying land formations revealed the need to excavate millions of bank cubic yards of material as part of the mining plans.

Jan 7, 1979

Henry C. Carlisle: This is a husband-and-wife act, in which Mary Carlisle is going to listen, and break in as often as she feels like it. I am going to describe my career as a mining engineer. We are at Nantucket, in the 75 Main St. house; The year is 1959. Q: This is something the boys and I have wanted you to do for a long time. Carlisle: After leaving Columbia in 1910, I arrived at Ray, Ariz., January 1, 1911, and rustled a job from Louis Cates, Ralph Nowland and Sprott Boyd, who were running the Ray mine. I went to work as a surveyor's helper, made $90 a month, and paid $35 a month board. I lived in a dormitory where about 25 other engineers, graduates from different colleges, were living. It was very social and you made a lot of young friends early in the game. I did not think much of the idea of being a surveyor, or even a surveyors, helper; the higher-up surveyors only got $125 a month, and had been there quite a long time. So, I asked to be changed to underground sampling, where I would see the mine faces every day and learn more about mining. In about three months, I became an underground sampler and remained at this for a year, but in three months I was promoted to head sampler, with six people under me.

Jan 10, 1963

By S. Parker Gay

In 1967 Southern. Peru Copper Corp. was faced with the problem of developing a water supply for their new Cuajone open-pit copper mining and milling operation, at a time when the existing water system was inadequate for a proposed expansion of the producing Toquepala mine. The most probable source for additional water was considered to be the Pasto Grande basin lying 30 km north of the terminus of the pipeline. This source of supply could be developed only at substantial cost, after construction of a dam, tunnels, pumping plants, and several miles of canals. Investigation of other possible sources was undertaken, and one of these was the Huaitire alluvial fan which had been recognized on aerial photographs in 1961. Resistivity soundings on the fan provided isopach information for estimating the volume of fan sediments. In the course of carrying out these soundings, a high-resistivity layer at depth was indicated. The favored geological interpretation of this layer at the time was a tight impermeable volcanic formation, but an alternative explanation was a ground-water aquifer of high transmissibility. Geological studies just released by the Peruvian Geological Map Commission supported the latter interpretation. A diamond drill hole sunk to a depth of 725 ft on the Huaitire Pampa in June 1967 proved the absence of the expected volcanics, the presence of the sediments, and indicated that some sedimentary horizons carried artesian water. Subsequent well drilling and hydrological and geological studies show that the aquifer occurs principally in the Upper Tertiary Capillune formation, covers an extensive area on the Peruvian altiplano, discharges enormous quantities of water to a large number of canyons dissecting it, and will adequately supply most, if not all, water needs of the Cuajone operations.

Jan 1, 1973

The meeting of the Board of Directors, on November 22, was attended by eight directors, the Secretary of the Institute, and eight guests. The proposed James Douglas Prize and Tablet was referred to a committee of eleven. Robert H. Richards was appointed representative of this Institute to attend the meeting of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education. J. V. N. Dorr was made chairman of the Finance Committee in place of George D. Barron, resigned. The sum of $200 was appropriated for the 1918 expense of the American Engineering Standards Committee; the question of an appropriation for 1919 was referred to the Executive Committee for study and report. The sum of $50 was appropriated to the Treasurer's clerk. The following representatives of the Institute were elected: W. L. Saunders to succeed himself as United Engineering Society Trustee; R. M. Raymond to succeed himself as member of Engineering Foundation Board; S. J. Jennings to succeed himself as member of Engineering Council; George F. Kunz to succeed himself as member of Engineering Council; C. F. Rand to succeed himself as member of John Fritz Medal Board of Award; E. Gybbon Spilsbury to succeed himself as member of the Library Board. To members of the Canadian Mining Institute residing in Canada or Newfoundland, the privilege was extended to subscribe to the Bulletin at the price of $5. An invitation was extended to the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America to consolidate with the American Institute of Mining Engineers. The appointment of Engineering Societies' Employment Bureau was reported. Thirty-nine members and ten associates were elected. Two members were reinstated. Extension of time for the payment of clues was granted to four members. Seventeen members on active duty at the front had their dues remitted.

Jan 1, 1919

By James H. Neisz, Gregory P. White

This paper discusses the development of surface coal mine planning programs for a microcomputer. A set of seven programs which were originally written for a large mainframe computer are described. The problems encountered in converting these programs to a micro with 52K of available core storage are discussed. A program for economic evaluation which is currently running on the micro is described and plans to convert other programs to the micro are detailed. In addition, we explain the microcornputer system we have assembled and give the rationale for each component. Problems we have encountered with this system are described for the benefit of others who may follow our path.

Jan 1, 1983

Prior to World War I, zinc was universally made by the distillation process. Small plants were operated at Cockle Creek, N.S.W., and Port Pirie, S.A. Then the electrolytic process was developed at Great Falls, Mont., in 1915 and at Trail. B.C. encouraging the Broken Hill companies to investigate the process. England's war-time need for zinc gave impetus to the development, and the site at Risdon, Tasmania, coincided with the developing hydro-electric power there. Experimental work was begun in 1917 by a proprietary company formed and owned by Broken Hill interests. Then in 1920, the principal features of the process having been established, a public company. Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia Ltd. was formed, now known as E.Z. Industries Ltd.

Jan 10, 1964

By J. E. Ryan

TRONA, Calif., is a miniature urban community of some 3500 people, located on the northwest shore of dry Searles Lake in the extreme northwest corner of San Bernardino County, approximately 186 miles north and east of Los Angeles. Since it is situated on the Mojave Desert, a typically desert climate prevails with wide variations in temperature between day and night, extreme daytime summer heat, and cool to cold winters. Rainfall averages somewhat less than 4 in. per year, and dust storms are common. The rate of evaporation, .however, is great, amounting to 6 to 9 ft of water per year. The extremely low humidity makes the summer heat of 110°F tolerable with only a mild, temporary discomfort. Nature of Deposit During the periods when Searles Basin was flooded, the waters that passed through Indian Wells Valley spread out to form a broad, shallow lake providing, in effect, a settling basin for suspended sediment. The drainage into the deeper and more isolated Searles Basin thus was clarified to a great degree before concentration began. Today, the elevation of the dry surface of Searles Lake is 1618 ft, and the salt deposit measures 5x7 miles. At the eastern and northeastern margins of the main playa zone and just at the foot of the alluvial slope of sand and coarser wash from the Slate Range mountains, a rim of crusted salts rises a few feet above the level of the flat. The deposit is a saline efflorescence composed of salts that were presumably brought up with rising ground waters to be deposited at the surface by solar evaporation. This deposit consists chiefly of trona, and it is after this Trona Reef that the town Trona was named. Strip mining operations have been conducted in the past at infrequent intervals for the recovery of crude trona salts. The main focal point of interest in Searles Lake from a commercial standpoint is the main salt body located almost centrally in the basin. The exposed portion of this porous saline deposit covers approximately 12 sq miles and averages 71 ft deep. Its interstitial voids, which constitute 50 pct of the total volume, are permeated with a brine, which is in equilibrium with the soluble salt deposits. The brine is the raw material for the operations of the American Potash and Chemical Corp. plant at Trona, shown in Fig. 1. The soluble salt deposits are of interest for their potential values in future technologic development. The brine, which is stratified according to slight differences in density, stands usually within 6 in. of the surface of this exposed, firm, salt body. The surface is usually dry and will support the weight of heavy mobile units and drilling equipment. Occasionally, however, surface waters from the higher watersheds encroach upon the main salt body during infrequent periods of precipitation on the surrounding mountains. This water dissolves surface salt, becomes a dilute brine, and has been observed to stand as high as 18 in. above the salt surface when undisturbed. Windstorms will shift the water back and forth across the lake surface. The exposed salt body is surrounded by additional submerged areas of commercial soluble salt deposits covering some 20 sq miles, hidden from view by marginal playa mud. These vary in depth up to as much as 30 ft. Thus, the outline of exposed and submerged salt deposits of commercial value is estimated to cover a total area of 32 sq miles, which is roughly circular but slightly elongated from northwest to southeast. It has been estimated that each square mile contains about 100 million tons% f alkali salts. The results of drill borings in the past 15 years have brought to light the interesting fact that the main salt body lies superimposed on an impervious mud deposit from 10 to 15 ft thick containing relatively little soluble salt. Under this deposit lies a second soluble salt body 35 ft deep. The lower salt body is interspersed with numerous insoluble mud lenses and its composition is considerably different from that of the primary, or main salt deposit. Recent drill borings have not penetrated beyond 300 ft. They have, however, revealed that underlying the lower salt body, the mud sediments carry deposited minerals of trona, nahcolite, mirabilite and much less soluble carbonates or sulphates of calcium and/ or magnesium. This structure is shown in Fig. 2. Current Lake Survey Program Several hundred holes have been drilled in the deposit. However, to carry out a thorough and carefully correlated study of the composition of the soluble salts and other minerals in the dry lake basin, a drilling program was inaugurated recently and is now nearing completion. In this survey, pattern drill holes are sunk at regular lh-mile intervals to a depth of approximately 150 ft. Drilling equipment consists of a No. 51 C. P.

Jan 1, 1952

By D. K. Crampton, H. I. Burghoff, J. T. Stacy

The effect of cold-working upon electrical conductivity of copper and of copper alloys appears not to be generally known in detail. Although several papers on the subject have been presented, showing variable effects according to alloy composition, it is often assumed that the 2 to 3 per cent lowering of the conductivity of ordinary tough-pitch copper by severe cold-working is typical for copper alloys. Because of this situation it was decided to carry out the present work upon several types of copper, copper-zinc alloys over the commercial range of brasses, other binary alloys, and numerous age-hardening alloys in the quenched, and quenched and aged conditions. The large number of alloys investigated made it impossible to study every one in the detail it may have merited. Inasmuch as several interesting points that could not be satisfactorily explained came to light, further work is contemplated by the authors. It is usually considered that the normal effect of cold-work on ductile metals and unordered alloys is to decrease conductivity slightly. In alloys that are in the ordered state, as annealed or otherwise heat-treated, cold--working tends to disorder the structure, resulting in very marked lowering of conductivity. The random state of atomic arrangement produces lower con- ductivity than the ordered state for the same composition.1 Previous Work Previous work in the authors' laboratory has shown the electrical conductivity of several copper alloys to be decreased by greater amounts than might have been expected, in view of the general knowledge on the subject, when cold-worked. Guillet and Ballay2 investigated the influence of cold-work upon the resistivity of several metals and alloys, including copper and some copper alloys. The increase of resistivity due to severe working w is less than 4 per cent for all pure metals tested, while the increases for the alloys were generally higher. In the copper-zinc alloys, they found that the increase of resistance due to drawing increased with zinc content, and reported a 21.7 per cent increase of resistance for an alloy contaiiiing 67.9 per cent Cu as severely worked. Masima and Sachs3 studied the change in electrical resistance of three brass crystals when stretched in the tensile test, obtaining increases in resistance of the order of 3 per cent for 30 to 40 per cent reduction of area of the specimens. The resistance decreased again when the cold-worked crystals were subsequently annealed. Bardenheuer and Schmidt4 found that the conductivity of copper was decreased by 3 to 4 per cent when reduced 50 per cent by working. The conductivity of 72-28

Jan 1, 1941

By D. K. Crampton, H. I. Burghoff, J. T. Stacy

The effect of cold-working upon electrical conductivity of copper and of copper alloys appears not to be generally known in detail. Although several papers on the subject have been presented, showing variable effects according to alloy composition, it is often assumed that the 2 to 3 per cent lowering of the conductivity of ordinary tough-pitch copper by severe cold-working is typical for copper alloys. Because of this situation it was decided to carry out the present work upon several types of copper, copper-zinc alloys over the commercial range of brasses, other binary alloys, and numerous age-hardening alloys in the quenched, and quenched and aged conditions. The large number of alloys investigated made it impossible to study every one in the detail it may have merited. Inasmuch as several interesting points that could not be satisfactorily explained came to light, further work is contemplated by the authors. It is usually considered that the normal effect of cold-work on ductile metals and unordered alloys is to decrease conductivity slightly. In alloys that are in the ordered state, as annealed or otherwise heat-treated, cold--working tends to disorder the structure, resulting in very marked lowering of conductivity. The random state of atomic arrangement produces lower con- ductivity than the ordered state for the same composition.1 Previous Work Previous work in the authors' laboratory has shown the electrical conductivity of several copper alloys to be decreased by greater amounts than might have been expected, in view of the general knowledge on the subject, when cold-worked. Guillet and Ballay2 investigated the influence of cold-work upon the resistivity of several metals and alloys, including copper and some copper alloys. The increase of resistivity due to severe working w is less than 4 per cent for all pure metals tested, while the increases for the alloys were generally higher. In the copper-zinc alloys, they found that the increase of resistance due to drawing increased with zinc content, and reported a 21.7 per cent increase of resistance for an alloy contaiiiing 67.9 per cent Cu as severely worked. Masima and Sachs3 studied the change in electrical resistance of three brass crystals when stretched in the tensile test, obtaining increases in resistance of the order of 3 per cent for 30 to 40 per cent reduction of area of the specimens. The resistance decreased again when the cold-worked crystals were subsequently annealed. Bardenheuer and Schmidt4 found that the conductivity of copper was decreased by 3 to 4 per cent when reduced 50 per cent by working. The conductivity of 72-28

Jan 1, 1941

By Arthur A. Center

WAR demand- motivated developments in the zinc industry during 1942. Stocks of Prime Western were built up and High-Grade remained tight. The Prince The Prime Western stocks are expected to be cut down and the demand for High-Grade more easily filled as the Depue reflux plant of the New Jersery Zinc Co. increases - production. Subistition of steel for brass in artillery shell cases will have a considerable effect on the zinc situation of the country one estimate of the saving in zinc in 1943 by this substitution being a little under 100,000 ton, of metal. The metal saved will, of course be High-Grade. If the substitution occurs, the present tight situation in High-Grade may be entirely relieved as new production comes on the market and zinc may find itself approaching a situation as comfortable as that of lead provided the supply of zinc-hearing raw materials is sufficient to keep all reduction plants tip to capacity production. The premium price of the per pound of zinc over set quotas which went into effect early in 1942, helped to bring about the new lead-slag-fuming plant and other new sources of raw materials.

Jan 1, 1943

By John W. Wagner, Robert K. Willardson

Single crystals of Pbl-xSnXTe have been grown from The melt under liquid B2O3 using the Czochralski technique. The PbTe-SnTe crystals were grown from near-stoichiometric melts and from melts with slight deviations from sloichiometry. Crystal growth rates ranging from 1 mm per hr to 1 cm per hr were employed, the latter being generally used. Several investigations were performed to characterize the single crystals grown In this study. The phase diagram of the PbTe-SnTe system was examined. X-ray analyses verified the single-crystal character of the crystals, and powder pattern lattice parameter determinations showed that Vegard's law was followed within the limits of the experimental error. The as-grown crystals were p-type with apparent carrier concentrations of -8 x 1018 to -8 x 1020 carriers per cu cm. Hall coefficients, resistivities, and carrier mobilities were determined as a function of composition. Dislocations were revealed by an electrolytic etch, and the crystals were found typically to contain 2 to 4 x 105 dislocations per sq cm. Microhardness measurements were performed; no maximum in the Vickers hardness us composition curve was seen. Mass spectrometry was used for impurity analyses, and the crystals were found to contain 1 to 2 x 1017 total p-type impurities per cubic centimeter. Distribution coefficients were calculated for the major impurities which were Na, Mg, Al, Si, Cl, and Zn. RECENTLY interest has been stimulated in the preparation and characterization of many alloys of the binary compound semiconductors. This interest is due primarily to the almost unlimited possibilities of adjusting the semiconducting characteristics of these materials by varying the alloy compositions. One alloy system which has been receiving extensive investigation is the PbTe-SnTe system, since these alloys show promise of being useful as emitters and detectors of electromagnetic radiation in the spectral range of 8 to 14 µ. This paper reports on the growth of PbTe-SnTe single crystals by the Czochralski technique and investigations of the general properties of these crystals. The phase diagram of the PbTe-SnTe system was investigated so that specific alloy compositions could be attained. I) CRYSTAL GROWTH The PbTe-SnTe single crystals were pulled from the melt using the Czochralski technique. Generally, the crystals were grown from near-stoichiometric melts, although special growth runs were made from both lead-rich and tellurium-rich melts. Growth of single crystals from up to 5 pct lead-rich melts presented no problems; however, melts with tellurium in excess of -1 pct caused volatilization problems which generally made crystal growth impossible. All melts were prepared from high-purity materials as follows: 1) lead— 6 N— Cominco (Cominco Products, Inc., Spokane, Wash.); 2) tin—5N—Cominco; and 3) tellurium— 5N+— American Smelting & Refining Co., Plainfield, N.J. No further purification of materials was undertaken in this study. The elements were reacted at -1000°C in a vacuum-sealed silica tube for a few hours, a gentle rocking action being used to ensure thorough reaction. The cast ingots were then transferred to a silica crucible for crystal growth. A schematic diagram of the growth apparatus is shown in Fig. 1. The Vycor tube is sealed at both ends by O-ring flanges so that a vacuum or a positive pressure may be maintained in the growth chamber. The pull rod and crucible may be rotated; all crystals produced in this study were grown with the crucible sta-

Jan 1, 1969

By S. F. Ravitz

IN his excellent book on the Principles of Flotation, Wark1 makes the following sig-nificant statement concerning the theory of flotation: Two questions of first-rate importance must be considered . . . First, it must be decided whether the sulfide minerals require a collector in order that they may float, or whether as has been claimed, they possess an inherent float-ability and need no collector. Second, it must be decided whether the xanthate type of col-lector can react with or be adsorbed by the unchanged sulfide minerals themselves, or whether, as many claim, reaction with the collector is dependent upon initial oxidation of the mineral surface. In the theory of flotation there are no two questions of greater impor-tance than these. Ravitz and Porter2 presented evidence that galena can be floated without a col-lector, and even without any reagent, pro-vided oxidation products are thoroughly removed from its surface. They found also that thoroughly cleaned galena floated faster when xanthate was used than when a frother alone or no reagent was used, and that, without a collector, the recovery decreased gradually upon exposure of the mineral to air. Their work, however, has met with considerable criticism. 1(127),3-6 This paper is presented to answer the objections that have been raised, and to present additional data that confirm their results.

Jan 1, 1940

By Charles W. Sweetwood

THE Western phosphate field, virtually ignored for 40 years, has been undergoing a rapid climb to economic importance. Until World War II there seemed to be no reason for developing the phosphate rock region of the Intermountain Empire. But the tremendously increased demand for food production and the needs of many branches of the chemical industry changed all that. Quite suddenly a report made by the U. S. Geological Survey at the turn of the century became important. The survey showed that 60 pet of the nation's phosphate reserves were in the western phosphate field. Simplot Fertilizer Co. was one of the first to become actively interested in the development of the area. In August, 1945 the company began exploration of the Phosphoria Formation on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. The result was the Gay Mine, about 18 miles east of Indian Agency Headquarters at Fort Hall, Idaho, developed to supply high grade phosphate rock for processing into superphosphate fertilizer at the company's Pocatello plant. Six ft of high grade oolitic phosphate rock (ranging from 32.5 to 34.5 pet P2O5) were discovered at the base of the Phosphoria Formation by diamond drilling and dozer trenching. High quality and thickness, plus the fact that the formation lay flat and near the surface made strip and open pit mining possible. In one year of mining, starting June 1946, a total of 53,000 tons of main bed oolitic phosphate rock was hauled to Pocatello for processing into supersulphate. The first year's operation was in

Jan 1, 1952

By D. K. Crampton, H. l. Burghoff, J. T. Stacy

THE effect of cold-working upon electrical conductivity of copper and of copper alloys appears not to be generally known in detail Although several papers on the subject have been presented, showing variable effects according to alloy composition, it is often assumed that the 2 to 3 per cent lowering of the conductivity of ordinary tough-pitch copper by severe cold-working is typical for copper alloys Because of this situation it was decided to carry out the present work upon several types of copper, copper-zinc alloys over the commercial range of brasses, other binary alloys, and numerous age-hardening alloys in the quenched, and quenched and aged conditions The large number of alloys investigated made it impossible to study every one in the detail it may have merited Inasmuch as several interesting points that could not be satisfactorily explained came to light, further work is contemplated by the authors It is usually considered that the normal effect of cold-work on ductile metals and unordered alloys is to decrease conductivity slightly In alloys that are in the ordered state, as annealed or otherwise heat-treated, cold-working tends to disorder the structure, resulting in very marked lowering of conductivity The random state of atomic arrangement produces lower conductivity than the ordered state for the same composition 1 PREVIOUS WORK previous work in the authors' laboratory has shown the electrical conductivity of several copper alloys to be decreased by greater amounts than might have been expected, in view of the general knowledge on the subject, when cold-worked Guillet and Ballay2 investigated the influence of cold-work upon the resistivity of several metals and alloys, including copper and some copper alloys The increase of resistivity due to severe working was less than 4 per cent for all pure metals tested, while the increases for the alloys were generally higher In the copper-zinc alloys, they found that the increase of resistance due to drawing increased with zinc content, and reported a 21 7 per cent increase of resistance for an alloy containing 67 9 per cent Cu as severely worked Masima and Sachs3 studied the change in electrical resistance of three brass crystals when stretched in the tensile test, obtaining increases in resistance of the order of 3 per cent for 30 to 40 per cent reduction of area of the specimens The resistance decreased again when the cold-worked crystals were subsequently annealed Bardenheuer and Schmidt4 found that the conductivity of copper was decreased by 3 to 4 per cent when reduced 50 per cent by working The conductivity of 72-28

Jan 1, 1941

By R. F. Mehl, R. W. Parcel

THE rate of the decomposition of austenite in eutectoid steels, forming only pearlite, may be expressed fundamentally in terms of the rate of nucleation and the rate of growth of pearlite nodules. This matter has received much attention in recent years. (The basic references are listed in ref. 1; references of particular import to the present work will be given separately.) Systematic data have been developed for plain carbon eutectoid steels.:! Although the physical factors affecting the rate of nucleation, N, in case of plain carbon steels have presumably been identified, they cannot as yet be evaluated quantitatively.' Several somewhat successful attempts, however, have been made to calculate the rate of growth, G. In the latter case the important factors determining the edgewise growth of pearlite have been assumed to be: 1—the interlamellar spacing; 2—the concentration extremes and concentration contours of carbon in austenite in front of the growing pearlite interface; and 3—the rate of diffusion of carbon in austenite.* The only systematic data on N and G for pearlite in alloy eutectoid steels are those for Co-steels;6 there are no data on alloy eutectoid steels in which the alloying element is known to decrease the rate of formation of pearlite, apart from a few scattering data reported earlier' for steels containing manganese. This paper reports a systematic study of N and G for eutectoid alloy steels containing molybdenum and nickel, respectively. In order to provide information of help in understanding the results, new data are presented on the effect of molybdenum on the interlamellar spacing of pearlite, So; data on the effect of nickel on So have already been published.' The alloys used were in five groups: 1—Pure Fe-C-Mo alloys (Table I) were supplied by the Climax Molybdenum Company of Michigan, Detroit. They were made from Armco ingot iron of standard analysis, Acheson graphite, and ferro-molybdenum, melted in silica-lined crucibles in a high frequency induction furnace. The ferromolyb-denum was added to the melted steel, followed in 5 min by 0.08 pct Al. The ingot as-cast measured 23/4x 31/4x10 in.; it was hot-forged at 1150°C to a bar 1 in. sq.

Jan 1, 1953

By H. C. Miller

The gas-lift method of flowing oil from wells is the outstanding feature of petroleum technology today. Its forerunner, the air-lift, was used successfully first, in the Baku fields of Russia, in 1899, and later in the Gulf Coast fields of Texas and Louisiana and the Kern River field of California. It is still used to a limited extent in certain oil fields. The use of compressed natural gas for lifting oil from wells has supplanted the air-lift method in a measure in those fields where a sufficient quantity of gas accompanies the oil to make the gas-lift possible, or where natural gas is plentiful and inexpensive. We find, therefore, in California, that natural gas is used at practically every well where a gaseous medium is employed to flow the oil. The use of natural gas has many advantages over that of air. It is possible to recover and save the gasoline from the gas that accompanies the oil to the surface. This gasoline would be wasted if air were used as the lifting medium. Also, certain proportions of air and gas form an explosive mixture that cannot be handled safely by compressors. Another advantage that gas has over air is that gas under pressure is more soluble in oil. Gas in solution in oil reduces the viscosity of the oil that is being produced and causes it to flow more readily through the tubing and flow lines. The gas-lift has made it possible to recover many thousands of barrels of oil from deep wells in California that could not have been produced otherwise. It would not have been economical, had it been mechanically possible, to produce such wells as the world's deepest producing oil well (Miley Athen's No. 6, Rosecrans field, California) by any other method of pumping known today. At this well, production is obtained from between 7305 and 7591 ft. and 11 months after completion of the well, production was being maintained on the gas-lift at approximately 2000 bbl. a month. The crookedness of the hole, or its diameter and depth will not prevent the successful application of gas-lift pumping when other conditions are favorable.

Jan 1, 1928

By A. Blake Caldwell

Northwest frontier is here defined as Alaska, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and northern British Columbia. The mineral potential of this area is great and will unfold in the decade ahead but now the largest single producer is the Pine Point lead-zinc mine in the NWT about 1200 km north of Edmonton, Alta., close to the south shore of Great Slave Lake. The mill, initially designed for 4540 mtpd, was expanded to 7250 mtpd in 1969. This operation is described in detail in Mining and Concentrating of Lead and Zinc, Vol.1, Chapt. 17, SME/AIME in the article by W. H. R. Gibney.

Jan 1, 1971

By William G. Pariseau

A design procedure for the quantitative estimation of support load requirements in underground mines is presented. The central problem in the design of mine support is one of es¬timating a maximum load that the ground will exert on the support in the coarse of mining. The distribution of stress around mine openings changes as mining progresses. At the time of support installation, the support load is essentially zero. With the passage of time and advance of the face, ground motion loads the support. The finite element method of analysis provides a simple quantitative technique for simulating the effects of mining and face advance on support load requirements. In particular, the maximum support load can be estimated by the proposed design procedure.

Jan 1, 1978

By GORDON H. FISHER

During the year 1945, the drilling pace in West Texas increased above that in the year 1944, and represented the highest number of well completions since 2941. The 1680 new wells drilled 8,287,958 ft. of hole for a per well average of 4933 ft. This depth is approximately 30o. ft. deeper than the average for the year 1944. Although the deepest well drilled in West Texas (Phillips Petroleum Company's Ada Price No. 1, in Pecos County) was completed during the year. 1944 to a depth of 15,279 ft. and tested the Ellen-burger horizon, the producing depth record for West Texas was set during the year 1945 with the completion of Amerada Petroleum Corporation's Jones No. I-A, in the Jones Ranch field, Gaines County, which now is producing at 11,422 ft. from the Devonian formation.

Jan 1, 1946