Search Documents

(Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons introduced by members.) No. 544.-Mining engineer, 39 years of age, graduate E. M. with extensive experience in the United States, Canada and Spanish-speaking countries. Good organizer, energetic and resourceful. Experience covers mining and milling of gold, silver, lead, copper, zinc and tungsten. At present a Captain of Engineers, U. S. A., expecting to be released shortly. Open for engagement as manager, superintendent or examining engineer. Correspondence and personal interview solicited. No. 545.-Engineer and geologist, member, age 29 years, technical graduate and married. Six years' practical experience as surveyor, chief engineer and in exploration work in West, Southwest and Mexico. Speaks French and Spanish. Desires position with exploration company or as engineer and superintendent of small mine. Will be released from commission in United States Navy about February 1. No. 546.-For staff position-or manager. Member, married, graduate mining and metallurgical engineer, 18 years' experience in underground and metallurgical work on gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc ores. Details, references, and qualifications will be sent if requested, or may be seen at Institute office. Available immediately in United States or Canada. Would go reasonable distance for an interview if desired. No. 547.-Member, experienced in mine operating, engineering, general contracting and constructing. Technical graduate, mining engineer, married, age 38 years. Many years' practical experience while advancing through different positions to manager. Best of references and rating. Desires change. Position with future. Can obtain results. Salary commensurate with position. Available on short notice. No. 548.-Mining engineer, member, technical graduate, age 31, on military service since August, 1914, available after January 31. Best of references.

Jan 3, 1919

By R. V. Higgins

This paper presents a computer method to obtain the shape factors and equal cell volumes of the channels for any well spacing pattern from a potentiometric model. By using this program the authors have processed the data for the seven-spot, direct line-drive and the staggered line-drive patterns. The data for the five-spot pattern had been previously processed by a noncomputer method and are included for completeness. The shape factors and volumes for the channels are presented in tables for those who want to use them to process data using their own permeability relationships and viscosities of their reservoir oils. The authors have used the data and sets of representative permeability curves to process sample calculationr of waterflood performances. The comparison of the calculated results shows that the influence of well spacing is small. The permeabilities of the reservoir rock to oil and water had a greater influence on oil recovery for a given pore-volume throughput of water than the well spacing pattern. The more water-wet the reservoir rock, the better the possibility of permeabilities which are conducive to good recovery. The viscosity of the reservoir oil also influences the recovery more than the well spacing pattern. The reduction in the percentage recovery of oil with increase in viscosity of the reservoir oils is small when oil viscosities are in the range of 0.1 to 3. Above this range the reductions in recoveries are extensive. Sample comparisons of the time required for different patterns to recover the oil are presented. Results of an example calculation are given to show the effect of the permeability profile on recovery. INTRODUCTION The effect of well spacing pattern on the recovery of oil when flooding with either gas or water has been studied by many investigators. Muskat et al.1 presented an analysis using conductivity, sweep efficiency and unit mobility to the time of breakthrough. Dyes et al.2 used experimental techniques (X-ray shadowgraphs) and different mobility ratios. They presented quantitatively the relationship between mobility and sweep efficiency at and after breakthrough. Hauber3 presented a method to predict waterflood performance for arbitrary well spacing patterns and mobility ratios. Craig et al.,4 using techniques similar to Dyes et al. to determine sweep efficiency for a five-spot pattern, added the use of relative permeability curves at breakthrough and thereafter. Douglas et al.5 sed rela- tive permeabilities and continuously changing saturations throughout the entire five-spot flood pattern. In obtaining their solutions they used finite-difierence equations. Hig-gins and Leighton6,7 also used relative permeabilities and continuously changing saturations throughout the pattern before and after breakthrough. They employed techniques that process a flood-pattern calculation on the computer in about one minute. The methods of Douglas et al. and Higgins and Leighton both checked closely the laboratory results for a wide range of mobility ratios. This paper presents some sample performances calculated by the Higgins and Leighton method that show the effect on recovery of different permeabilities and viscosities using the seven-spot, the line-drive and the staggered line-drive, as well as the fivespot flood pattern. No previous paper has presented these data using different permeability curves and continuously changing saturations throughout the flood patterns. The paper also presents (1) the results and analyses of the flood-pattern prediction, (2) the computer techniques for determining the shape factors and volumes from the potentiometric models for the foregoing flood patterns, and (3) the shape factors and volumes of the channels of the flood pattern in the event reservoir engineers may like to process waterflood calculations using their own permeability curves and reservoir oils. DESCRIPTION OF METHOD VOLUMES AND SHAPE FACTORS The use of channels taken from a potentiometric model (see Fig. 1) to aid in calculating the performances of water floods of nonlinear patterns has been thoroughly explained in the literature.0,7 Therefore, very little theory, discussion, or proof regarding this phase will be repeated in this paper. The computer method presented in this paper to calculate the volumes and the shape factors of the channels of potentiometric models employs the trapezoidal rule for the volumes and the Pythagorean theorem (the hypotenuse equals the square root of the sum of the squares of the two sides of a right triangle) for the shape factors. In calculating the volume of a channel, the area of each cell in the channel is determined and then multiplied by the thickness to obtain the volume. In determining the areas of the cells, trapezoids are constructed whose vertical sides are spaced Ax apart, as shown in Fig. 2. The length of the sides is the difference between an ordinate cut off by the top and bottom of the cell — usually equipo-tentials. The coordinates of the points along an equipo-tential or streamline are obtained by Lagrange's8 equation of interpolation for which the constants are coordinate points at the intersections. Three intersections for con-

Jan 1, 1965

Correspondent. Must be able, by virtue of, connection, to forward; daily ands weekly, reports, outlining, conditions affecting economics of. industries, particularly the metallurgical, and chemical, industries. New. York, City. R-1982. Sales Lubrication. Engineer. Preferably with experience, as chief marines engineer familiar with internal-combustion; engines and, with, automobile trade. Must be good salesman, of goody appearance and be able to meet people. Middle West. Salary $27.00: to start. R71984.

Jan 12, 1919

By Joseph Kuti

Longwall mining is the term used for the underground extraction of a wide and deep panel of coal. Such a panel may be blocked out by one or more entries on either side ("head" and "tail") of a longwall face. If all the entries are pre-driven, the panel extraction is termed longwall retreat mining. With one exception, all the longwall faces in the United States are of this type3 Prior to the general decline in the rates of production with Continuous Miners, the development of the multiple entries generally kept ahead of the longwall extraction rate. This is no longer the case: longwall extraction rates far exceed the rate of development. In addition to this problem, in newly established mines, the development of a haulage and bleeder system based on multiple entries results in a lead-time of three years or more before longwall mining can be applied. This is one reason why earlier projections and much of the optimism attached to longwall mining as a principal "savior" in the energy crisis should be viewed with some caution. The alternatives to retreat mining with multiple entries are: Modified retreat mining- where the tail-entry is being formed during the mining of-the panel ("2"-system). Some form of advance mining-where the head-entry or both head and tail entries are being formed as part of the longwall extraction process. These methods are well-known and well-established. Variants of them are being practiced in Canada, Central and South America, but not in the US. It is primarily the laws governing ventilation-conceived for room and pillar mining which prevent the rapid development of these techniques. Another aspect of longwall mining is that it requires a systematic and consistent approach in organization, roof control, ventilation and transport. It is for this reason that compliance with health and safety regulation is fairly well ensured if the longwall system has been well laid out and is subsequently well-run. Nevertheless, a management mentality raised in the great flexibility of the room and pillar system cannot always come to terms with the degree of forward planning and rigid discipline required to successful longwall mining. Research, development and other investments in the partial aspects of longwall mining are always of interest, but no massive trend to longwall can be expected realistically unless these major stumbling blocks in the basic law and basic approach are effectively removed.

Jan 1, 1980

By Walter Miller

Crude oil stocks were some 10,000,000 bbl higher on June I, 1947, than at any time during 1946 but the extremely heavy refinery runs the last half of 1947 cut crude inventories to approximately the 1946 closing level of 225,000,000 bbl. Many refiners were seriously short of crude oil during the year. This shortage was reflected in numerous advances in the posted price of crude, justified in part as an incentive for more production but more generally due to competitive bidding. Some purchasers of crude, endeavoring to keep their plants running, resorted to the payment, either directly or indirectly, of premiums above the posted price. Another common practice employed by some suppliers of crude oil was to demand refined products in exchange or trade for their raw material. The refined products picture has darkened in spite of record throughputs. Stocks of gasoline and light and heavy fuel oils were uncomfortably low at the beginning of the year and were in general still lower at the close. The rationing of some products, principally gasoline, to dealers and stations? initiated during the year, gained momentum as stocks continued to diminish. The emphasis placed by the manufacturers of oil-burning equipment on the convenience and economy of heating with oil, together with the tight situation in coal, has developed a tremendous demand for burning oils. Consumption of liquefied petroleum gas for domestic and household fuel had more than doubled in 1946 over 1943, and the demand seems to be limited only by the ability of the equipment builders to furnish necessary storage. transportation, and burning equipment. The supply situation is likely to become more acute in 1948. Demand for petroleum products is being pushed to new heights not only by the unprecedented domestic market but by a sudden and drastic upswing in estimates of military and governmental requirements. Additionally, oil exports are running far below the volume requested, amounting to less than forty percent in a recent quarter, and export licenses are reportedly being approved on the basis of urgent need *only. AX recent White House release sees little likelihood that estimated requirements of the sixteen nations participating in the proposed Marshall Plan can be met in full over its projected life—1948 to 1951. Present demand dictates maintenance of refinery operations at the highest possible level and the Bureau of Mines has forecast daily average crude runs in 1948 of 5,265,000 bbl. The Economics Advisory Committee of the Interstate Oil Compact Commission recently estimated the 1948 demand for petroleum products at nearly 6 pct above 1947. They further estimate daily average crude runs of 5,375,000 bbl in 1948, some 2 pct higher than forecast by the Bureau of Mines. Projected demand exceeds supply to the extent that Capitol Hill is reportedly investigating ways of enabling oil companies to act in concert without danger of antitrust prosecution, such as elimination of crosshauls, pooling of products, and lowering of octane.

Jan 1, 1948

By Walter Miller

Crude oil stocks were some 10,000,000 bbl higher on June I, 1947, than at any time during 1946 but the extremely heavy refinery runs the last half of 1947 cut crude inventories to approximately the 1946 closing level of 225,000,000 bbl. Many refiners were seriously short of crude oil during the year. This shortage was reflected in numerous advances in the posted price of crude, justified in part as an incentive for more production but more generally due to competitive bidding. Some purchasers of crude, endeavoring to keep their plants running, resorted to the payment, either directly or indirectly, of premiums above the posted price. Another common practice employed by some suppliers of crude oil was to demand refined products in exchange or trade for their raw material. The refined products picture has darkened in spite of record throughputs. Stocks of gasoline and light and heavy fuel oils were uncomfortably low at the beginning of the year and were in general still lower at the close. The rationing of some products, principally gasoline, to dealers and stations? initiated during the year, gained momentum as stocks continued to diminish. The emphasis placed by the manufacturers of oil-burning equipment on the convenience and economy of heating with oil, together with the tight situation in coal, has developed a tremendous demand for burning oils. Consumption of liquefied petroleum gas for domestic and household fuel had more than doubled in 1946 over 1943, and the demand seems to be limited only by the ability of the equipment builders to furnish necessary storage. transportation, and burning equipment. The supply situation is likely to become more acute in 1948. Demand for petroleum products is being pushed to new heights not only by the unprecedented domestic market but by a sudden and drastic upswing in estimates of military and governmental requirements. Additionally, oil exports are running far below the volume requested, amounting to less than forty percent in a recent quarter, and export licenses are reportedly being approved on the basis of urgent need *only. AX recent White House release sees little likelihood that estimated requirements of the sixteen nations participating in the proposed Marshall Plan can be met in full over its projected life—1948 to 1951. Present demand dictates maintenance of refinery operations at the highest possible level and the Bureau of Mines has forecast daily average crude runs in 1948 of 5,265,000 bbl. The Economics Advisory Committee of the Interstate Oil Compact Commission recently estimated the 1948 demand for petroleum products at nearly 6 pct above 1947. They further estimate daily average crude runs of 5,375,000 bbl in 1948, some 2 pct higher than forecast by the Bureau of Mines. Projected demand exceeds supply to the extent that Capitol Hill is reportedly investigating ways of enabling oil companies to act in concert without danger of antitrust prosecution, such as elimination of crosshauls, pooling of products, and lowering of octane.

Jan 1, 1948

By J. P. Murphy, T. E. Leontis

DURING the last few years, the trend in the aircraft and automotive industries has been toward higher and higher operating engine temperatures. This has created considerable interest in the effect of temperature on the properties of alloys. In the magnesium field, it has been recognized for many years that the addition of cerium imparts high strength and good resistance to creep at elevated temperatures. Beck,1 in his treatise on-magnesium, has summarized the work of German investigators. This includes the unpublished data of Menking, showing the increase in strength and hardness of extruded alloys containing 2 to 20 per cent Ce at temperatures from 200 to 300°C. (68° to 572°F.) and the results of Vosskühler, who demonstrated the improved resistance to creep of alloys containing 6 per cent Ce plus 2 per cent Mn and 0.5 per cent Ce plus 2 per cent Mn at 150°C. (302°F.). Wellinger and Keil2 have also reported the creep properties of a forged magnesium-cerium-manganese alloy at 200° and 250°C. (392° and 482°F.). Haughton and Prytherch have determined the tensile properties of various forged magnesium alloys containing cerium, cerium plus manganese, cerium plus calcium, cerium plus nickel, cerium plus nickel plus manganese, and cerium plus cobalt plus manganese at temperatures up to 290°C. (554°F.). Magnesium-cerium alloys have been used in some commercial applications. It is reported that an alloy containing 3 per cent Ce plus 0.5 per cent Mn plus 0.5 per cent Ca is being used on a forged impeller in Great Britain. Two forged parts made from an alloy with a nominal composition of 5 per cent Ce and 2 percent Mn have been found on the German .BMW-801D aircraft engine. These two forgings consist of a supercharger impeller and a rear cam-follower guide. In this country, several types of pistons have been made experimentally in both .the cast and the forged conditions from an alloy containing 6 per cent Ce plus 2 per, cent Mn and in the cast condition from an alloy of magnesium plus 10 per cent Ce. The cast pistons have been tested in various types of internal-combustion engines, with promising results. This paper presents the results of an extensive investigation on the properties of various cerium-containing magnesium alloys in both the cast and the forged conditions. Data are presented to show the beneficial effects of increasing amounts of cerium on the mechanical properties of magnesium at elevated temperatures. The effects of heat-treatment on the properties of these alloys and the attendant changes in the microstructure are discussed. The

Jan 1, 1946

By A. Lubinski, J. L. Logan, W. S. Althouse

A4ost gas twells and flowing oil wells are completed and treated through a string of tubing and a packer. Changes in temperature and in pressure inside or outside the tubing will: (I) if free motion of the tubing inside the packer is permitted, increase or decrease the length of the rubing; or (2) if free motion is prevented, induce forces in the tubing and on the packer. If pressure inside the tubing is greater than outside, the tubing may buckle helically even in the presence of a packer-to-tubing tension. The tubing will always buckle, and much more severely, if free motion is permitted. The buckling may be prevented by pulling the tubing in sufficient tension. The prediction of these forces and tubing movement has here to fore been based upon calculations that did not inciude helical buckling. This paper preseitts means with which these length or force changes can be calculated while taking into account the effect of helical buckling. To avoid damaging formations, failure of remedial operations, or damage to the tubing or packer, application is made to practical problems involving calculations of the required length of seals, amount of sluckoff or tension, and prevention of permanent corkscrewing. INTRODUCTION Leakage of a packer may result in costly failures of such operations as squeeze cementing, hydraulic fracturing, etc. To avoid such failures, the authors are often asked questions pertaining to the length of necessary seals, the amount of necessary slackoff, etc. Published work' does not take into account helical buckling of tubing. Investigation of helical buckling was prompted by the fact that allowance must be made for this phenomenon in order to provide relevant answers. In the past, theoretical work on helical buckling was confined to conditions for which such buckling does not The mathematical treatment of behavior in a buckled condition, given in the Appendix, is novel. Assumptions upon which this investigation is based are listed and discussed in a special section. The following are a few of the many kinds of problems which may be solved with this paper. 1. Consider a packer in which tubing may move. Such movement will occur after pressures and temperature are changed. The paper provides means for: (a) calculating the amount of such movement and, therefore. the required length of seals; and (b) calculating the necessary amount of initial slackoff, for which there is no danger of unsealing the packer, if the length of seals is given. Such calculations, as well as those which follow, tully take into account the fact that part of the movement ib due to elastic helical buckling of the lower part of the string. This buckling may occur even in tubing under tension. Insufficient initial slackoff for a given length of seals, or insufficient length of seals for a given slackoff, may result in costly failures. A field case of such a failure will be given further in this paper. 2. In the case in which tubing cannot move in the packer, changes of pressure and temperature result in tubing-to-packer forces and forces in the tubing above the packer, both of which may be calculated. This knowledge is important because, if these forces are too large, the) could damage the packer or the tubing. 3. For wells in which wireline tools are to be run through the tubing, the paper provides means to keep the tubing from buckling, thereby permitting free passage of tools. 4. In deep wells, mainly in the presence of large casing, tubing may become "corkscrewed", i.e., take a permanent helical set. A field case is described further in the text. Using this paper, one may calculate in advance conditions under which permanent corkscrewing would occur, and then take preventive steps. HELICAL BUCKLING Consider a string of tubing, freely suspended in the absence of any fluid inside casing, as shown in Fig. I(a). Now consider an upward force F applied at the lower end of this tubing. This force compresses the string; and if the compression is large enough (which is always the case in actual problems), the lower portion of the string will buckle into a helix, as shown in Fig. 1 (b). The lower end of the tubing is subjected to a compression F. This compression decreases with the distance from the bottom and becomes nil (neither compression nor ten-

By P. A. Beck, Hsun Hu

It has been known for many years that in cold drawn polycrystalline aluminum the recrystallization texture is practically identical with the deformation texture.l,2,3 V. Goeler and Sachs4 stated that in cold rolled polycrystalline aluminum, too, the deformation texture is retained upon recrystallization. This behavior was interpreted by Dehlinger9 as an indication that each recrystallized grain inherits the orientation of the matrix in which it grew. However, Burgers and Basart showed6 that in deformed aluminum single crystals the orientation of the recrystallized grains strongly deviates from that of the matrix. Barrett demonstrated8 that even in deformed polycrystalline aggregates the local orientation within each deformed grain changes on recrystallization. No explanation has as yet been offered of how the aggregate texture can be retained, while the local texture is everywhere changing. According to Burgers and Louwerse6 the orientation change on recrystallization in compressed and rolled aluminum single crystals corresponds to a rotation around [112] axes lying in the active slip planes and perpendicular to active slip directions. This orientation change was rationalized by them on the assumption that the orientation of the recrystallized grains is determined by the orientation of the available nuclei, and that these nuclei are small fragments of the deformed crystal, rotated in the deformation process. Barrett pointed out,? however, that these assumptions were by no means proven, and that the total volume of material necessary for the nuclei is so small, that it must be available in any orien- tation whatever. It is, therefore, unlikely that an "oriented nucleation" theory could satisfactorily explain the orientation changes in recrystallization of a deformed crystal. Furthermore, in contradiction to Burgers and LOU-werse's conclusions, Barrett's results for the orientation change could be best expressed in terms of rotations around. [Ill] axes. Thus agreement is lacking not only in the interpretations but apparently even in the experimental results contributed by the various investigators. The orientation relationships on coarsening* in a highly oriented polycrystalline matrix were first investigated by Burgers and Basart.5 They produced a fine grained highly oriented matrix by the recrystallization of a compressed or rolled single crystal of aluminum, and studied the orientation relationships in three successive generations of crystals: the "deformation texture" in the single crystal, the recrystallization texture, and the coarsening texture. Burgers24 showed that the preferred orientation of each successive generation was almost always widely different from that of the preceding one, but that the coarse grains often approximately reverted to the orientation of their grandparent, the deformed single crystal. This observation, and the idea that the orientation of the coarse grains is determined by that of the available "nuclei," led to the concept that the coarse grains are nucleated by the remnants of the deformation texture.12,15 On the other hand, Bowles and Boas16 found, in a carefully conducted experiment, that in recrystallized fine grained copper of cube texture coarse grains grow in orientations which can be derived from the orientation of the recrystallized matrix by rotation around a [lll].] direction: the coarsening texture here does not appear to be related in any simple manner to the original rolling texture from which the cube texture had been obtained by recrystallization. It may be assumed that in a recrystallized material, even with a strong texture, there always are present some grains of practically any orientation. These may serve as "nuclei" for the coarse grains, provided that the conditions are favorable for their growth. The existence of a coarsening texture may be considered as an indication that grains with certain relative orientations with respect to the preferred orientation of their neighbors can grow much faster than others. This "oriented growth" theory was briefly suggested by van Arkel, as early as 1936,13 and it was mentioned by Burgers." Recently, C. G. Dunn produced direct

Jan 1, 1950

By J. S. Marsh

The student of steelmaking is all too well acquainted with the fact that in many instances he must deal with data that in graphical representation exhibit the property most desirable in bird shot. This is scarcely mystifying, since the effort to establish one variable as a function of another is usually hampered by the simultaneous operativeness of two or three other factors that may be important. A large part of arriving at relationships that have the pleasing self-consistency of, say, precise measurements of thermal expansion, consists of determining what factors must be held constant-—an even larger part usually consists of collecting data for which those factors have been so maintained. It is not intended to imply that functional relationships in the physical chemistry of steelmaking are hopelessly obscure; on the contrary, it is merely necessary to be undisturbed by marked deviation of some points from a curve that otherwise makes sense. A reaction mechanism suggested by such a curve may call attention to hitherto unsuspected factors operative in the origin of the deviating points, and thus permit another step to be taken in the direction of fuller understanding. It is proposed, therefore, to suggest several empirical relationships. Even though the approach is not always rigorous, deviations caused by simplifying assumptions appear to be too small to obscure a provisional It has been appreciated for some time that the carbon-oxygen reaction in liquid steel is highly important. For example, Körber et al.,' in introducing a summary of their extensive work on steelmaking reactions, said: "... the far-reaching and truly dominating action of carbon upon the metallurgical reactions will be especially stressed ..." In "Basic Open Hearth Steelmaking"2 (hereafter BOHS, for simplicity), it is accepted repeatedly that the various slag-metal interactions are nearly always controlled by the carbon-oxygen reaction. Before further discussion of this reaction, however, it will be worth while to consider briefly the carbon-oxygen equilibrium. In BOHS (p. 483) it is stated that: When liquid iron is brought into contact with gases containing carbon monoxide it absorhs carbon and oxygen. Conversely the carbon and oxygen in the metal unite to form carbon monoxide which is evolved from the bath during the open-hearth boil or while rimming ingots are solidifying. . . . When the equilibrium pressure is one atmosphere the equilibrium-constant equation simplifies, on the assumption that the activity of each element is equal to its percentage, to a constant which has been so much used that it has acquired a special symbol m. where m = %C X %O

Jan 1, 1945

By T. Prof. Ph. D. Egleston

(Read at the Amenia Meeting, October, 1877.) THE copper-bearing rocks of Lake Superior are composed of a series of metamorphic rocks, comprised under the names of amygdaloid and conglomerate, in which the copper and silver found with them are pseudomorphs. These rocks, generally, have well-defined walls which cause them to separate easily. Generally, the country rock is sterile, but it occasionally rises into the copper-bearing rock, and then carries copper. Usually, the amygdaloids carry copper, and the greenstones or melaphyres which encase them do not. There is a very generally received opinion that the copper in these beds occurs in shoots. This does not appear to be proved, though the opinion seems to have some foundation from the experience of the Calumet & Hecla Mine, where a body of poor rock has been left, which, on the mine map, shows a general direction. The theory may be true of that individual mine, but too little work has been done in the other mines to draw any decided conclusion. The copper is very unequally disseminated in the rock, if any given piece be taken as an example, but, if the whole copper-bearing series be considered, its distribution is uniform. It may prove that there are certain directions in which the copper has been deposited more abundantly than in others, and these may be found to correspond with certain geological causes, but up to the present time the knowledge gained is not sufficient to warrant any general conclusion. These rocks are supplemented by a series of true fissure veins, of which there are several systems, making the amount of native copper very large. Unfortunately, except in the fissure veins, known as "mass-mines," the copper is so scattered through the rock, and is in such a fine state of division, that, although it is not always difficult to mine, it is always difficult to dress it sufficiently too make it pay. The metal is so uniformly distributed through these copper-bearing rocks that detached pieces, called " float," are found in digging on almost any land in the country. These pieces vary from very small fragments, weighing not more than a few ounces,, up to many pounds. III one instance, in making an excavation for a cellar of a

Jan 1, 1878

By Arne Bergholm

Australian rutile was chlorinated in the presence of CO or carbon. The chlorination velocity in CO was found to be strongly influenced by temperature and proportional to the CO concentration, but independent of the Cl, concentration. In the presence of carbon, the reaction velocity is much higher. The reactivity of the carbon and the distance between the carbon and the rutile surfaces are important variables. The reaction velocity is approximately proportional to the Cl, concentration and independent of the CO concentration of the surrounding atmosphere. Experiments with fluidized-bed chlorination of carbon-rutile mixtures indicate that the motion of the bed has little influence on the reaction velocity. At low temperatures, the chlorination velocity of dense tablets is much greater than that of TiO, coke mixtures suitable for fluidization. The reaction mechanism is discussed. In the industrial production of TiCl, rutile is chlorinated in the presence of carbon. Disregarding intermediate steps, the reaction may be expressed by the following equations: The ultimate object of this study was to find out whether the reaction velocity was higher in fluidized bed operation compared with chlorination of pelle-tized carbon-rutile mixtures. From a literature survey and preliminary experiments it was learned that some basic knowledge about the reaction mechanism was needed for a good experimental design. Therefore the following sets of experiments were carried out: 1) Studies on the reaction velocity in the chlorination of rutile with CO as the only reducing agent. 2) Chlorination of separate rutile-carbon tablets. 3) Chlorination of rutile-carbon tablets at different temperatures with various kinds of carbon, various grain sizes, and various tablet-making techniques. This series of experiments was carried out not only with pure chlorine but also with mixtures of chlorine with argon, CO and CO,. 4) Chlorination of rutile-carbon tablets made in a strictly standardized manner. 5) Chlorination of static-bed rutile-carbon mixtures. 6) Fluidized-bed chlorination of the same mixture. The experiments 4 to 6 formed the final and direct test of the main question: Static bed vs fluidized bedo. Although there are many patents and papers dealing with the general aspects of chlorination, only few experiments from which detailed information can be obtained have been reported in the literature. Pamfilov and coworkersl3 have studied chlorination of TiO, with CO or carbon as the reducing agent. They found that the weight decrease per hour at 600o to 800°C amounted to 11 to 14 pct with CO and 45 to 51 pct with carbon. They suggest that phosgene might be an intermediate in the chlorination of TiO,. Takimoto and Hattori have chlorinated reduced titanium oxide (TiO) and found a very high rate of TiC1, -production. They proved that the composition of the gas from the chlorination of rutile-carbon mixtures contained mainly CO. They reported for instance 74.7 pct CO, and 5.6 pct CO at 800°C at which temperature the Boudouard equilibrium composition is 12 pct CO and 88 pct CO. Seligman and Segerchano6 have studied the chlorination of TiO. They proved that Ti0 and chlorine react rather rapidly at temperatures as low as 300°C. Above 400°C, the reaction was complete. At 500°C the velocity of this reaction was much higher than was chlorination of TiO, + C. McTaggart,7 Nishimura, et al. and Wilskam have chlorinated mixtures of carbon and various kinds of rutile or beneficated ilmenite. Nishimura, et al. also report the results from reduction of TiO, with H2, CO, or carbon. At 900°C only 1 pct Ti O is formed in 2 hrs. At 1100°C 23.1 pct Ti, 0, was formed if elementary carbon was present. No carbide formation occurred below 1400°C. McIntosh and Cofferll have observed that the CO, content of the exit gases from chlorination of rutile and calcined petroleum coke is appreciably higher than found in the Boudouard equilibrium. At 900°C the ratio (CO, /CO + CO) is about 80 pct, whereas the equilibrium value is about 2 pct. W. E. Dunn12 has studied the chlorination rates of several TiO,-bearing minerals with CO + Cl, or COCl . Chlorinations were carried out either in a fluidized reactor or a fixed-bed reactor, both having a 30-mm diameter. The results obtained in both reactors were comparable. It was proved that benefi-ciated ilmenite (i.e., ilmenite from which the iron oxide had been removed by chlorination) was chlorinated 10 times faster thanrutile. Sore1 slag showed an intermediate rate. When phosgene is used, the

Jan 1, 1962

Taking the Long View THE present international situation has serious implications for this nation. The possibility of total war is no more appalling than the threat of making the United States permanently into an armed camp. A period of ten years under such conditions could mean a Communist victory without firing a shot-if the present trend toward statism is allowed to continue. As individual citizens and as members of the mining profession we have the power to oppose the march toward socialism. We must not adopt shortsighted policies dictated by self-interest, but must endeavor to size up the situation as a whole and act according to what will be best in the national interest. The economic picture for the metal mining industry under present emergency conditions is apparently bright. Demand for metals exceeds supply. But there is danger that fluctuating prices will bring Government regulation. Care must be exercised in our pricing policies, or the calamity of Government intervention will be inevitable. President Truman's "loophole" reference to percentage depletion early in the year caused a brief flurry of excitement, but now that the immediate threat is over the industry has lapsed into sommolence on this subject. Special tax privileges accorded the mining industry because of inherent risks should be guarded by a continuing propaganda campaign to educate Congress and the public. If this is not done we may find ourselves losing the necessary tax protection which we now possess by a capricious act of legislation. Stockpiling minerals from abroad certainly lengthens the life of our own mineral resources. The present consumer demand for the base metals indicates foreign sources of supply for stockpiling. However, this is only one facet of the problem. For strategic military reasons it is necessary that the United States have quick sources of all minerals within our national boundaries. Undeveloped mineral deposits do not meet this need so that where it is possible to encourage our own mineral development by stockpile purchases, it should be done. A need exists for an overall controlling agency that would make purchases for the stockpile according to military necessity, current metal market conditions, and so as to strengthen the mining industry. In the course of the history of the United States we have been engulfed in several wars by the necessity of protecting our economic rights abroad trading privileges-and also because of moral obligations. Disregarding the moral side, it is difficult to reconcile fighting wars to protect world freedom of trade when in peacetime we attempt to restrain such trade by tariff barriers. When it comes to accepting subsidies from the Government in one form or another it is difficult to overlook the immediate personal gains and see in the future that where the Government lays out capital it becomes a partner in the business and not a silent one. It is apparent that hope for the traditional American way of life cannot be bought without some self-sacrifice; and we cannot wait for the other fellow to start it because it is the responsibility of each individual citizen. By taking the long view our course should be apparent and not diverge sharply from our own personal benefit.

Jan 10, 1950

By W. D. Lowry

As most of the industrial activity of Oregon is centered in the Portland area, the foundries there consume the bulk of the foundry sand produced in Oregon. Although a number of the larger towns scattered throughout the state have gray-iron foundries, the sand used by most of them is of local origin. The yearly consumption of foundry sand of all types for the past few war years in Oregon is estimated to have been approximately 40,000 tons valued at about $285,000, of which an estimated 18,000 tons was shipped in from the Ottawa, Ill., district for use largely by the steel foundries. Until 1945 much of the silica sand consumed by the steel foundries in the Pacific Northwest, approximately 50,000 tons in 1944, came from Ottawa, Ill. and surrounding regions. Although some silica sand was shipped in from Belgium in the past, none is known to have been imported in recent years. Early in 1945, a very promising high-grade silica sand being produced near Eugene, Oregon, was introduced, and all but two of the Portland steel foundries are using this new sand. Until a few years ago, the search for good local (Oregon) foundry sands was carried on largely by the foundry supply houses. Recently the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries has investigated a number of deposits and has carried on and fostered research on the most bromising deposit near Eugene, about 120 miles south of Portland. High-grade silica foundry sand from this deposit is now being marketed in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. The Eugene sand is one of the very few outstanding western steel-foundry sands. Field investigations by the Oregon Department show that there are relatively few deposits of sand in Oregon suitable for foundry use. A knowledge of the geology of the state makes this readily understandable. The only major primary sources of the quartz present in sandstones in Oregon are the intrusive masses of granite, granodiorite, and quartz diorite of late Jurassic or early Cretaceous age found in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon, a part of the old Klamath Mountain highland, and in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. Transportation militates against the development of any possible deposits of foundry sand found east of the Cascade Mountains in central and eastern Oregon because few railroads traverse that area. East of the Cascades, which separate western from eastern Oregon, many of the older sediments of Paleozoic and Mesozoic age have either been metamorphosed or contain much volcanic eruptive material, and even if some of the Mesozoic sediments are highly quartzose in places, they are in relatively inaccessible areas. All the Tertiary sediments there are of continental origin and contain much ash and other volcanic debris, for there was great volcanic activity during much of that period. In western Oregon much the same is true of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks

Jan 1, 1948

By W. D. Lowry

As most of the industrial activity of Oregon is centered in the Portland area, the foundries there consume the bulk of the foundry sand produced in Oregon. Although a number of the larger towns scattered throughout the state have gray-iron foundries, the sand used by most of them is of local origin. The yearly consumption of foundry sand of all types for the past few war years in Oregon is estimated to have been approximately 40,000 tons valued at about $285,000, of which an estimated 18,000 tons was shipped in from the Ottawa, Ill., district for use largely by the steel foundries. Until 1945 much of the silica sand consumed by the steel foundries in the Pacific Northwest, approximately 50,000 tons in 1944, came from Ottawa, Ill. and surrounding regions. Although some silica sand was shipped in from Belgium in the past, none is known to have been imported in recent years. Early in 1945, a very promising high-grade silica sand being produced near Eugene, Oregon, was introduced, and all but two of the Portland steel foundries are using this new sand. Until a few years ago, the search for good local (Oregon) foundry sands was carried on largely by the foundry supply houses. Recently the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries has investigated a number of deposits and has carried on and fostered research on the most bromising deposit near Eugene, about 120 miles south of Portland. High-grade silica foundry sand from this deposit is now being marketed in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. The Eugene sand is one of the very few outstanding western steel-foundry sands. Field investigations by the Oregon Department show that there are relatively few deposits of sand in Oregon suitable for foundry use. A knowledge of the geology of the state makes this readily understandable. The only major primary sources of the quartz present in sandstones in Oregon are the intrusive masses of granite, granodiorite, and quartz diorite of late Jurassic or early Cretaceous age found in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon, a part of the old Klamath Mountain highland, and in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. Transportation militates against the development of any possible deposits of foundry sand found east of the Cascade Mountains in central and eastern Oregon because few railroads traverse that area. East of the Cascades, which separate western from eastern Oregon, many of the older sediments of Paleozoic and Mesozoic age have either been metamorphosed or contain much volcanic eruptive material, and even if some of the Mesozoic sediments are highly quartzose in places, they are in relatively inaccessible areas. All the Tertiary sediments there are of continental origin and contain much ash and other volcanic debris, for there was great volcanic activity during much of that period. In western Oregon much the same is true of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks

Jan 1, 1948

By J. H. Fletcher, S. M. Cassidy

Air has been cooled, heated, washed, humidified and dehumidified for many purposes and in many industries. At a number of metal mines air is conditioned to reduce the high humidity and unbearable heat found in deep workings, and at some mines air is washed to allay siliceous dust. Steam is introduced into the intake air at many coal mines, particularly in winter, for the purpose of keeping loose coal dust so moistened that the hazard of an explosion is lessened. This paper will describe a further successful application of air conditioning in a coal mine, where, for over three years, all intake air has been cooled to a constant temperature for the sole purpose of preventing roof falls. Effect of Warm Weather on Mine Roof It is generally known by mining men that some, if not all, coal mines have more trouble from bad roof during the warm summer months than in winter. Also, it has been observed that roof on intake airways is usually worse than on the return entries, after the air has circulated through the mine. Some mines and some coal seams are much more affected than others. In the Clinton district of Indiana, the No. IV coal seam has a good, firm, gray shale roof except during the summer months, when it deteriorates badly and falls in small slabs 1 to 6 in. thick. Timbering is not very efficacious during this period because in time the roof will shear around the supporting prop or crossbar and either dislodge the timber or leave it supporting only a few inches of crumbly shale (Fig. 1). This action is renewed each summer, choking airways with fallen slate, tearing down trolley wires, hampering haulage, endangering men and adding considerably to the deadwork cost. Only when mines have been worked for a period of years and have been advanced a long distance from the shaft do the active workings become comparatively free of this trouble, and even then the intake entries are still a source of much deadwork. Such was the annoying situation at the mine of the Saxton Coal Mining Co. operated in the No. IV coal just north of Terre Haute, Ind. During the months of warm weather it was possible to stand at any quiet spot in the mine and within 10 min. hear at least two or three falls,

Jan 1, 1931

By M. E. Lombardi

ThE Coalinga oil field is located on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, California. The structure is in general a monocline, the edges of the oil horizon resting on the foot hills and dipping gently toward the east. One prominent anticline occurs plunging southeast. The earlier drilling was done in the foot hills comparatively near the outcrop and the wells were shallow. The sands were followed eastward and, in the case of the anticline, along the plunge, the wells becoming deeper and deeper until the depth of 4,000 ft. was reached and passed. There is nothing to show that the oil will not be found in quantity at still greater depth. In fact, some of the best producers have tapped the sand at close to 4,000 ft. The recovery of oil still farther to the east, and therefore at greater depth, seems to be mainly a question of drilling. In this territory the formations drilled through are chiefly sands and shales; they will not "stand up" in an open drilling hole; the casing has to be carried close to the bit, and it is always difficult to keep the casing free for any considerable distance. Ability to carry casing of comparatively large diameter without conductor pipes for distances of 2,000 or 3,000 ft. or over is desirable in such territory chiefly for two reasons. It makes it possible to enter the oil sand with a pipe of ample diameter; it eliminates one or more expensive strings of casing which act only as conductors for the water string, and furthermore, in territory where waters are encountered which corrode steel rapidly, it makes possible the construction of a rust- and alkali-resisting water string. It is always desirable to shut off top waters, which may lie within 100 ft. or less of the oil sand, with 10-in. pipe. Where the depth is so great that a practical weight of 10-in. pipe will not withstand the probable collapsing pressures, 81/4 in. at least is desirable. About the limit of rotary drilling to date in California seems to be the setting of the 10-in. string at 3,200 ft., although the rapid advance in rotary work during the past year seems to indicate that this depth may soon be increased. It is my purpose now, however, to treat only of cable-tool drilling. The problem is to reach a depth of 4,000 ft. or more with a string of

Jan 1, 1915

By R. W. Gurry

When a steel in the austenitic state, with all its carbon in solution, is maintained, at constant temperature, in contact with a gas that removes the carbon from the surface, yet without otherwise altering the composition of the steel, the change in weight of the specimen, after any period of exposure, is a direct measure of the amount of carbon it has then lost. The purpose of the present paper is to show how, by application of established mathematical reasoning based on the fundamental diffusion law and on certain postulates, this loss of weight yields a complete picture of the distribution of carbon throughout a specimen of regular shape after any period of exposure, with all the accuracy required in any practical occurrence of decarburization. Precisely the same is true for the gain in weight during the reverse process of carburization, or for the gradual gain or loss of any element, so long as the steel comprises only a single phase at temperature, provided always that the experimental conditions conform to the postulates. The change in carbon content from surface to center of the specimen is always continuous, when everything is in solution, even though under the microscope the decarburized zone (or carburized rim) may appear to be sharply defined. The experimental procedure is described and some typical results are presented, which are then interpreted by application of the diffusion law. Experimental Procedure Initially an endeavor was made to follow the gain of weight during the process of carburization in a hydrogen-toluene atmosphere, but it was soon found that the specimen became coated with graphite, which could not be removed without some loss of metal; therefore it was decided to continue carburization until the steel was saturated throughout, to remove all graphite from the surface of the specimen, and then to follow the loss of weight during decarburization in a moist hydrogen atmosphere at the same temperature as that used for carburizing. The carburizing procedure has been described in an earlier paper;' it suffices to state here that the carburization lasted about I40 hr. at 760°C. (1760°F.) and 44 hr. at iiio°C. (2030°F.), these periods being long enough-—on the basis of the calculations presented later—to ensure that the specimen was about 99.9 per cent saturated at each temperature. The specimen was a cylinder about 3.8 cm. long and 0.475 cm. in diameter; the materials were carbonyl iron, a commercial low-metalloid iron, and a steel with 3.6 per cent nickel and the usual proportion of other elements. The fully carburized specimen, after cooling at the top of the furnace tube, was placed in a lathe and sandpapered to remove all graphite; then the diameter was measured with a micrometer caliper, and the initial weighing (corresponding to complete saturation) was made. By means of a

Jan 1, 1942

By R. W. Gurry

When a steel in the austenitic state, with all its carbon in solution, is maintained, at constant temperature, in contact with a gas that removes the carbon from the surface, yet without otherwise altering the composition of the steel, the change in weight of the specimen, after any period of exposure, is a direct measure of the amount of carbon it has then lost. The purpose of the present paper is to show how, by application of established mathematical reasoning based on the fundamental diffusion law and on certain postulates, this loss of weight yields a complete picture of the distribution of carbon throughout a specimen of regular shape after any period of exposure, with all the accuracy required in any practical occurrence of decarburization. Precisely the same is true for the gain in weight during the reverse process of carburization, or for the gradual gain or loss of any element, so long as the steel comprises only a single phase at temperature, provided always that the experimental conditions conform to the postulates. The change in carbon content from surface to center of the specimen is always continuous, when everything is in solution, even though under the microscope the decarburized zone (or carburized rim) may appear to be sharply defined. The experimental procedure is described and some typical results are presented, which are then interpreted by application of the diffusion law. Experimental Procedure Initially an endeavor was made to follow the gain of weight during the process of carburization in a hydrogen-toluene atmosphere, but it was soon found that the specimen became coated with graphite, which could not be removed without some loss of metal; therefore it was decided to continue carburization until the steel was saturated throughout, to remove all graphite from the surface of the specimen, and then to follow the loss of weight during decarburization in a moist hydrogen atmosphere at the same temperature as that used for carburizing. The carburizing procedure has been described in an earlier paper;' it suffices to state here that the carburization lasted about I40 hr. at 760°C. (1760°F.) and 44 hr. at iiio°C. (2030°F.), these periods being long enough-—on the basis of the calculations presented later—to ensure that the specimen was about 99.9 per cent saturated at each temperature. The specimen was a cylinder about 3.8 cm. long and 0.475 cm. in diameter; the materials were carbonyl iron, a commercial low-metalloid iron, and a steel with 3.6 per cent nickel and the usual proportion of other elements. The fully carburized specimen, after cooling at the top of the furnace tube, was placed in a lathe and sandpapered to remove all graphite; then the diameter was measured with a micrometer caliper, and the initial weighing (corresponding to complete saturation) was made. By means of a

Jan 1, 1942

A tough Conservation Act has been in force in Pennsylvania since January, 1964. Known as the Bituminous Coal Open Pit Mining Conservation Act, it is now under study by other coal producing states, and seems likely to serve as the blueprint for similar legislation elsewhere. It provides for the conservation and improvement of areas of land affected by open pit mining to decrease soil erosion, prevent pollution of rivers and streams, prevent combustion of unmined coal and generally improve the use and enjoyment of such lands. The cost of backfilling may go to as much as 40[c] or more per recovered ton and is cutting deeply into already reduced profit margins brought on by rising labor and equipment costs, static coal prices and less accessible coal. As a result, operators will be forced to seek greater efficiency.

Jan 7, 1965