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By C. O. Lee, R. H. Feierabend, Z. W. Bartlett

DESPITE the fact that American brimstone production has increased 2 times since the prewar period 1935-1939, the demand for sulphur exceeds the supply. To alleviate this situation efforts are being made to increase the production of sulphur and bring the shortage to an end. The most important developments are being undertaken on the Gulf Coast. One new brimstone mine has been put into operation and three others are being developed. These projects are expected to account for a large part of the additional sulphur production now anticipated for the free world.'.' Except for a small amount of byproduct sulphur from sour natural gas and refinery gases, American brimstone is produced by the same process devised by Frasch 60 years ago, consisting essentially of the injection of superheated water at about 325°F into sulphur-bearing formations through wells which are drilled from the surface by standard oilfield methods. Sulphur deposits vary in depth from a few hundred feet to 2500 ft from the surface; in a typical deposit the sulphur occurs as crystalline aggregates in porous limestone and gypsum in concentrations varying from 5 to 40 pct, the thickness of the formation ranging from a few feet to several hundred.3 The deposits are usually surrounded by formations impermeable to the flow of hot water, the top and sides being enclosed by impermeable sediments and the bottom by dense impermeable anhydrite. As the hot water leaves the well bore, it percolates through the formation and transmits its heat to the rock and sulphur. When the sulphur reaches 240°F it melts, separates from the rock, and flows through the hot channels downward to the bottom of the well. Here it is freed from incoming water and from formation water, which saturates the porous rock, by gravity separation, liquid sulphur being 1.8 times as heavy as water. It then is pumped to the surface in a relatively pure state, 99.5 pct or better. Chief contaminants are organic impurities, such as petroleum residues, which are soluble in sulphur and tend to discolor it.' Sixteen deposits of commercial magnitude have been discovered in the Gulf Coast area. Five of these deposits have been depleted and abandoned with production totalling more than 26,886,000 tons. Eight properties are operating and have produced 65,875,-000 tons to Jan. 1, 1952, for a total Frasch-type production of 92,761,000 tons. Three new deposits are under development. Aforementioned deposits are listed in Table I. Each of these deposits has been found in the cap-rock overlying shallow intrusive salt plugs or domes and buried in several hundred to as much as 2500 ft of sediments. All salt domes do .not contain sulphur; only 16 sulphur deposits have been found in a total of 231 salt domes which are known to exist in the Gulf Coastal states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Ten of the salt domes lie in the Gulf of Mexico offshore from the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Additional offshore domes may be found, but their value as a sulphur potential is questionable owing to the great hazard and high cost that can be visualized at these exposed locations where depths of water reach 50 ft. Marsh operations of Freeport Sulphur Co. are in the southeast section of Louisiana. In general, the country is low, flat, relatively uninhabited marshland broken by many shallow lakes and bayous which extend for irregular distances inland. Geologically, the coastal area is of sedimentary origin, having been built up gradually under the sea by deposition of material carried down by large streams to their deltas. Offshore bars were formed enclosing

Jan 1, 1953

By C. O. Lee, Z. W. Bartlett, R. H. Feierabend

DESPITE the fact that American brimstone production has increased 2 times since the prewar period 1935-1939, the demand for sulphur exceeds the supply. To alleviate this situation efforts are being made to increase the production of sulphur and bring the shortage to an end. The most important developments are being undertaken on the Gulf Coast. One new brimstone mine has been put into operation and three others are being developed. These projects are expected to account for a large part of the additional sulphur production now anticipated for the free world.'.' Except for a small amount of byproduct sulphur from sour natural gas and refinery gases, American brimstone is produced by the same process devised by Frasch 60 years ago, consisting essentially of the injection of superheated water at about 325°F into sulphur-bearing formations through wells which are drilled from the surface by standard oilfield methods. Sulphur deposits vary in depth from a few hundred feet to 2500 ft from the surface; in a typical deposit the sulphur occurs as crystalline aggregates in porous limestone and gypsum in concentrations varying from 5 to 40 pct, the thickness of the formation ranging from a few feet to several hundred.3 The deposits are usually surrounded by formations impermeable to the flow of hot water, the top and sides being enclosed by impermeable sediments and the bottom by dense impermeable anhydrite. As the hot water leaves the well bore, it percolates through the formation and transmits its heat to the rock and sulphur. When the sulphur reaches 240°F it melts, separates from the rock, and flows through the hot channels downward to the bottom of the well. Here it is freed from incoming water and from formation water, which saturates the porous rock, by gravity separation, liquid sulphur being 1.8 times as heavy as water. It then is pumped to the surface in a relatively pure state, 99.5 pct or better. Chief contaminants are organic impurities, such as petroleum residues, which are soluble in sulphur and tend to discolor it.' Sixteen deposits of commercial magnitude have been discovered in the Gulf Coast area. Five of these deposits have been depleted and abandoned with production totalling more than 26,886,000 tons. Eight properties are operating and have produced 65,875,-000 tons to Jan. 1, 1952, for a total Frasch-type production of 92,761,000 tons. Three new deposits are under development. Aforementioned deposits are listed in Table I. Each of these deposits has been found in the cap-rock overlying shallow intrusive salt plugs or domes and buried in several hundred to as much as 2500 ft of sediments. All salt domes do .not contain sulphur; only 16 sulphur deposits have been found in a total of 231 salt domes which are known to exist in the Gulf Coastal states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Ten of the salt domes lie in the Gulf of Mexico offshore from the Texas and Louisiana coasts. Additional offshore domes may be found, but their value as a sulphur potential is questionable owing to the great hazard and high cost that can be visualized at these exposed locations where depths of water reach 50 ft. Marsh operations of Freeport Sulphur Co. are in the southeast section of Louisiana. In general, the country is low, flat, relatively uninhabited marshland broken by many shallow lakes and bayous which extend for irregular distances inland. Geologically, the coastal area is of sedimentary origin, having been built up gradually under the sea by deposition of material carried down by large streams to their deltas. Offshore bars were formed enclosing

Jan 1, 1953

By R. F. Burdyn

The inadequate use of centrifugation to economically recover solids from weighted drilling fluids reflects the need for better equipment and techniques for this putpose. Laboratory studies in the development of an improved separator are described in which an operating equation is derived and tested. Results show that the concentric cylinder geometry employed effectively separates bnrite from a suspension and that the operating equation provides a good approxinmtion for scale-up. INTRODUCTION Our current drilling technology frequently requires a high-density drilling fluid obtained by addition of barite. In the course of drilling, formation solids which are too fine to be removed either by screening or settling become suspended in the drilling fluid and gradually the volume of solids in the mud increases. The volume fraction of solids must be limited (if a satisfactory set of rheological parameters are to be maintained). A centrifugal separatorprovidesan economical way of accomplishing this. The barite recovery process can be considered as a separation of two solids. One, the light solids, composed of formation and added solids, has a specific gravity of 2.6 to 2.7; the other, barite, has a specific gravity of 4.2 to 4.3. This density difference, plus the fact that the average light-solids particle size is much smaller than the average barite particle size, permits separation by a centrifuge. In drilling fluids some of the coarse particles of the light-solids-range will settle faster than fine particles of the barite-particle range. As a result a complete separation of the two species is not possible. since the object of the process is not merely recovering the maximum amount of barite but includes as well removing the maximum amount of light solids, an optimum barite recovery efficiency exists. From a practical standpoint this optimum cannot be determined in the field for each drilling fluid system, and in practice the separation is less than optimum, with some sacrifice of barite. Drilling technology has included centrifugal separators for barite recovery for more than a decade. Results have been reported by a number of investigators indicating that the process is practical and economica1. l-4 The decision to use a centrifuge is based on economics in which direct cost savings and the indirect benefits in rig time derived from improvement of the drilling fluid are important factors. One would expect that centrifugal separation of barite from drilling fluids would significantly affect barite consumption; however, this is not the case. The Minerals Yearbook shows an annual domestic barite consumption in the drilling industry of nearly 1 million tons.5 By rough estimate there are perhaps 80 separators presently in field use. Assuming half of these in use at any one time, operating an average of four hours per day, at recovery rates averaging 3,000 Ib of barite per hour, total annual recovery is about 90,000 tons. This is less than 10 per cent of he total barite used. I conservatively estimate that barite consumption in drilling operations can be reduced by 30 per cent through greater utilization of centrifugal separators. To encourage more widespread acceptance of centrifugal separators in the drilling industry, improved equipment and techniques would be very desirable. The present paper, covering theory and results obtained from a laboratory model, is the first in a series on he development of an improved mud separator for field use. THE CONCENTRIC CYLINDER GEOMETRY AS A SEPARATING DEVICE Consider the geometry shown in Fig. 1, consisting of two concentric cylinders separated by an annular space. These are arranged so that the outer cylinder is fixed and the inner one can be rotated about its axis on shafts sealed against the ends of the outer cylinder. If the outer cylinder is fitted with openings at either end, the inner

Jan 1, 1966

By C. J. Osborn

In oral discussion at the Columbus midyear meeting, September 26, 1949, these pertinent questions were asked: Was a satisfactory separation of metal and matte obtained? The matte was quite fluid and in most cases the separation was satisfactory. Were the mattes chlorinated after aging? The mattes were stored in sealed glass mason jars, and chlorina-tion experiments made after standing for several weeks gave satisfactory results. Was ferric chloride volatilized? Most of the iron content of the matte was converted to ferric chloride. However, because of the low chlorination temperatures used (150" to 250°C) the major part of the ferric chloride remained with the residue. Undoubtedly, some ferrous chloride was also formed, because of the reducing conditions within the reaction vessel, but no effort was made to separate it from the ferric chloride. Could the reaction be stopped before making metallic iron? No attempt was ever made to stop the reaction before making metallic iron. Generally, 20 to 60 pct of the iron in the charge was obtained as metallic iron which could be readily separated from the matte. In certain cases, metallic iron was dispersed through the matte in the form of globules, which could be removed by magnetic separation. Could other sulphides, i.e., calcium sulphide or sodium sulphide be used in place of iron sulphide? No other sulphides were investigated. It was felt that titanates of calcium and sodium would be formed should these sulphides be used to replace the pyrite. What were the sulphur volatilization losses during matte smelting? In the course of this laboratory investigation, a rather wide variety of variables was introduced from highly oxidizing to reducing conditions and various ratios of pyrite, rutile, and coke. These and other factors all have a definite bearing on the sulphur losses. In general, the higher the sulphur in the charge the higher were the sulphur losses and the percentage of titanium in the matte decreased. With sulphur additions more nearly the theoretical amount, the sulphur losses averaged approximately 10 to 15 pct. With a higher percentage of sulphur on the charges, the losses were in the order of 15 to 30 pct.

Jan 1, 1951

The Secretary : The work of Mr. A. E. Outerbridge, Jr., of Philadelphia, first made known in his paper on " The Mobility of Molecules of Cast-Iron," read at the Pittsburgh Meeting of the Institute, in February, 1896, has been reviewed by the Committee on Science and the Arts of the Franklin Institute, whose report, dated May 5, 1897, is accompanied with a table of tests made by the Committee, and amply confirming the statements of Mr. Outerbridge. Concerning the originality and novelty of his investigation, the Committee says: " The fact that a certain molecular change takes place in cast-iron in the course of time has been known and recognized by many persons for a long time, and that this change tends to relieve the internal strains and render the casting tougher has often been noticed and acted on, although in a very crude way; but, so far as the sub-committee has been able to learn, Mr. Outerbridge has been the first to make a careful study of this, and to note that the change may be hastened by impact, and the whole effect produced in a short time, and also to make a scientific study of the phenomenon. We believe great credit is due him for the initial observation and the careful work dependent thereon. The results were first given to the public in a paper read before the American Institute of Mining Engineers, on February 20, 1896. This aroused a wide-spread interest and discussion among users of cast-iron, and so far as the sub-committee has been able to determine, it has not been shown that anyone, either in this country or abroad, has antedated Mr. Outerbridge in his work in this line. The Franklin Institute therefore recommends the award to him of the John Scott Legacy Premium and Medal." This report has not been published, hut I have had the opportunity to read it in manuscript. The table of testa accompanying it comprises 91 tests of " rumbled" and an equal number of " not rumbled" companion-bars of cast-iron, 26 by 2 by

Jan 1, 1898

By H. J. Struth

The benefits of proration of oil production were perhaps more concretely realized in 1932 than at any time since the oil industry adopted nation-wide production control. Reduced output of crude petroleum, which brought the daily average of the United States down to approximately 2,000,000 bbl. from a peak in 1931 of more than 2,600,000, had a telling effect on the trend of oil prices. Mid-Continent crude was advanced in price from 776, for 36-gravity oil, to $1.04 a barrel. California crude, of 26-gravity at Signal Hill, moved forward from 736 to 976 a barrel. Pennsylvania crude, the only exception to the upward trend, rose in price from $1.82 per barrel to $2.02, only to react to $1.72. This was due to local conditions which necessitated an adjustment to overcome competition from other areas of the United States. East Texas continued to exert a far-reaching influence on the crude and gasoline market during 1932. Despite the fact that oil prices were advanced in most fields, large quantities of oil were produced in East Texas in violation of state proration orders, and sold in the market at prices considerably below official postings. This created competitive conditions in the gasoline market that were felt by all refining centers of the United States. The quantity of gasoline produced from cheap East Texas crude was not large, but the volume was sufficient to influence prices in practically all sections of the country. Thus, while the industry's' economic situation showed visible improvement statistically, the unreported and unseen statistics originating in East Texas proved to be an insurmountable obstacle to the economic betterment that was otherwise apparently justified. Somewhat surprising to many was the fact that gasoline consumption was maintained within 10 per cent of the preceding year. Domestic consumption showed only a net decline under 1931 of about 8.5 per cent; exports dropped in volume to the extent of about 23 per cent. As a matter of fact, domestic gasoline consumption was only about 1.4 per cent less than it was in the predepression year of 1929. Exports, however,

Jan 1, 1933

By Theodore Swann

DURING recent years, there has been a material increase in the use of ferrophosphorus in the steel industry. It has been observed, when rolling sheets, that those made of Southern iron did not have to be rolled at as high a temperature as the others and, consequently, did not stick together. The reason was found to be the phosphorus content of Southern iron. It was therefore thought that an addition of phosphorus to sheet steel of other than Southern origin would give the same result as the use of Southern iron. At first, this addition was made by intro¬ducing phosphate rock in the blast furnace and reducing it together with the iron ore; but, because of the necessity for only small quantities of this grade of iron, the process was not satisfactory. The manufacture of ferrophosphorus was then introduced, so that additions might be made to the open-hearth furnace or ladle. Ferrophosphorus was first manufactured in the blast furnace. This method, however, can only economically produce a grade of product up to about 20 per cent. To produce a higher grade, it would be necessary to charge a larger proportion of phosphate-bearing material; and as the rate of absorption by the iron is low, there would be an increased loss of phosphorus oxides. This feature makes the production of a higher grade ferrophosphorus in the blast furnace uneconomical. The use of high-grade ferrophosphorus in the steel requires a smaller addition and involves, besides the economies in handling, an additional economy in transportation. The alloy with a higher percentage than 20 per cent. can be made only in the electric furnace. In the ordinary operation of the electric furnace in the production of ferrophosphorus, an alloy may be produced containing 26 per cent. phosphorus; this is the limit, for it does not seem possible to produce a higher phosphorus alloy even if large excesses of phosphatic materials are used. The reasons for the difficulty in raising this percentage of phosphorus are not known. The compounds Fe3P, containing 15.6 per cent., and Fe2P, containing 21.7 per cent. phosphorus, have been studied and it appears as if the alloy produced, containing percentages of

Jan 10, 1924

By M. H. Richman, W. D. Sproul

THE indexing of a field-ion micrograph is in many cases similar to the indexing of the poles of a stereo-graphic projection.* If one has a standard projection as a guide, the task of indexing is relatively simple. In this way, field-ion micrographs of bcc and fcc wires have been oriented from projections available in most any text on X-ray diffraction. These books always illustrate the projections for the bcc and fcc structures and even for a particular hcp structure. There is no "standard" hcp projection because the angles between planes depend on the c/o ratio of the unit cell. In order to index field-ion micrographs of hcp metals, one must compute the angles between various planes—a rather laborious task. In recent work,, we have had to identify the structure and index the orientation of field-ion micrographs of the compounds WC and W,C. To overcome the problem of computing angles by hand or calculator, a program was written in Fortran lV for use on the IBM 360, Model 50 which will compute all angles between planeswith indices (hlklll) and (17,k,l2) in the range from (447) to (444) for any given c/o ratio. The program, which is more specific than that of Camp and clum, was so written as to take advantage of the multiplicity of the hexagonal system, and, for the limits defined above, only 26,649 values out of a possible 265,721 values had to be computed. This is a 90 pct saving in time (and cost) and was accomplished in the following way. Because the lattice parameters of the hexagonal crystal system are defined such that: a = b * c [1] the I index does not enter into the multiplicity (i.e., it cannot be transposed with the h or k indices), and all possible values of h and I, from 4 to 4 must be used—a total of eighty-one combinations. The index h2 varies the most—it must assume values from - Ill,: to 3Ihl. The indices kl and k2 are always equal and vary

Jan 1, 1969

By Wilson B. Emery

The Hidden Dome gas field, situated in Washakie County, Wyoming, was discovered Sept. 26, 1917. Subsequently five additional gas wells were completed and a large reserve was developed. For a number of years this field completely supplied the domestic market at Basin and Greybull, as well as the refinery at the latter town, and it is still supplying gas in small amounts to this market. Production is obtained from the sands of the Frontier formation at depths ranging from 1000 to 1500 ft. The original rock pressure was 725 Ib. and initial production ranged from 4,000,000 to 28,000,000 cu. ft. per day per well. Porosity of the sand, determined from the size of the productive area and the amount of gas recovered, is over 18 per cent. Area and Management It is estimated that the productive area is about 640 acres. Its outline is indicated on Fig. 5, on which are also shown the locations of holes drilled on the structure and the area of unit operation. The unit area is owned by the Ohio Oil Co. and development and operation have been by this company. No productive well has been completed outside this area. The entire area was Government land filed on under the placer mining law. Results of Unit Operation With six producing wells, or an average of one to each 160 acres, the pool is completely developed. Location of the wells was made with respect to structural conditions plus the requirement that at least one well be drilled on each 160-acre placer claim. Perhaps a somewhat more uniform spacing of the wells might have been accomplished and one well eliminated, but it must be borne in mind that the holes, on account of their shallow depth, were not expensive and that the object was to develop as reliable a reserve as possible. There is no cause to suspect that these holes have not adequately drained the reservoir and there is every reason to think that any additional wells, which might have been drilled under diversified ownership and operation, would have been an economic waste. Unit operation by a competent company has not only resulted in the elimination of loss of gas through careless development and operation

Jan 1, 1930

By C. M. Young

THE safety lamp is the most common and convenient apparatus for detecting inflammable gases in mines, the presence of gas being shown by a blue flame, called the cap, if the wick has been lowered to suppress the luminous flame. The height of the cap increases with the proportion of gas and with the temperature of the lamp flame. Lamps of the Wolf type, the fuel of which is benzine, have a hotter flame than lamps in which vegetable oils are used, such as the Davy, and the Clanny, and are more sensitive than the latter and their many modifications. The Piehler alcohol lamp gives a still higher cap while the Clowes hydrogen lamp is most sensitive of all. While the effect of the temperature of the source of ignition is well known, the writer knows of no previous attempt to correlate the change of this temperature with change of the height of the cap produced. In order to determine the height of the cap at various temperatures, it was necessary to have a source of ignition the temperature of which could he accurately controlled over a considerable range. This condition was met by a coil of wire of high fusing point heated by an electric current controlled by a variable resistance. The use of a coil offered the further advantage of freedom from complications due to the flame of a burning fuel. Such a flame, being itself of variable height, would to some extent raise or lower the elevation of the base of the cap and therefore add to the difficulty of determining the height of the cap. Besides this, the presence of a small cap from the lamp fuel, commonly known as the "fuel cap, " would interfere with the observation of small gas caps. After some experiment, a coil was made of platinum wire, No. 26, diameter 0.016 in. The coil was 17/64 in. (6.746 mm.) in outside diameter and had eight full turns in a length of ½ in. (12.69 mm.). This was connected to an electric circuit through an adjustable resistance, as shown in

Jan 8, 1919

By Frederick Laist

This paper is a review of Montana reverberatory smelting practice covering a period of approximately fifty years, during which time the small furnaces that had been in use elsewhere for a century or more, without much change in size or method of operation, were revolutionized and were developed into the huge, continuously operating furnaces of today. A study of Montana practice is particularly instructive, since reverberatory furnace smelting for the production of copper matte received more attention there than in other smelting centers and many of the improvements that finally resulted in establishing the preeminence of this type of furnace over the blast furnace originated in Butte and Anaconda. The material in this paper was gathered from original sources, wherever possible, and all of the illustrations were made from original drawings, some of which have been simplified and worked over so as to be better adapted for reproduction. The aim has been to trace the modifications in design and operation which took place during the period in question—the reasons for the changes and the results achieved through them. For developments during the first twenty years, the technical literature of the period was freely drawn upon, but I am particularly indebted to W. M. Kelly, general foreman at the Anaconda Works, whose recollections and personal experience extend back to the early days. I wish to acknowledge the use made of publications of E. P. Mathewson, William Wraith and L. V. Bender, as well as information obtained here and there from friends and associates. The resume of Great Falls practice was compiled from correspondence, notes and drawings found in the files of the old Boston & Montana Co. and the tabulations showing the performance of furnaces at Butte and Anaconda are adapted from plant records and correspondence in the files of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. The paper deals with some interesting comparisons that were made between furnaces operated under various conditions in connection with the Carson Case, and results obtained when using natural gas as fuel. This part of the paper may be considered original to the extent that these results have not previously been published.

Jan 1, 1934

THE first session was held in the rooms of the American Philosophical Society, on Tuesday evening, February 26th. The President, Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, called the meeting to order, and after a few introductory remarks concerning the importance of theoretical and speculative science, which often involves principles of the highest economic value, and, more than all that, serves to enlarge our conceptions of the universe, and ennoble us, by the cultivation which it affords to our most exalted faculties, proceeded to discuss some points in the chemistry of the atmosphere. It is known that there is in the crust of the earth a great amount of oxidized carbon, not only in the shape of coal, but also in the graphite or plumbago of the crystalline rocks, in the various bituminous shales or pyroschists, which are found in all succeeding rock-formations, and also in the forms of bitumen and petroleum. All the analogies of nature lead us to conclude that these various carbonaceous substances have had an organic origin, and have been generated by the deoxidation of carbonic acid, a process effected by the growing plant, and attended with the liberation of oxygen. He showed that the carbon of a layer of coal covering the whole earth's surface to the thickness of one meter, would, in its production from carbonic dioxide, liberate an amount of oxygen equal to that now present in our atmosphere. But bituminous coal contains also a large amount of hydrogen, derived from the deoxidation of water, which implies the liberation of a farther portion of oxygen. The amount from this latter source would equal, for the various coals and asphalts, from one-eighth to one-fourth, and, for the petroleums, one-half of that set free in the deoxidation of the carbon which these hydrocarbonaceous bodies contain. From what we know of the composition of the stratified rocks, it is probable that they include an amount of deoxidized carbon and hydrogen many times greater than that contained in a layer of coal one meter in thickness, and, consequently, that the disengaged oxygen in past ages must have far exceeded that now present in our atmosphere. To this must be added

Jan 1, 1878

By E. H. Wells, A. Andreas

New Mexico retained its position as the sixth largest oil-producing state for the year 1937 with a total production of 38,484,630 bbl. This was an increase of 11,680,184 bbl. over the 1936 production of 26,804,446 bbl., or a gain of 43 per cent. The production for Lea County during 1937 was 35,961,056 bbl.; for Eddy County, 2,136,251 bbl.; and for northwestern New Mexico (San Juan and McKinley Counties), 387,323 bbl. The average daily non-marginal well allowable for Lea County on Jan. 1, 1937, was 92 bbl.; at the close of the year it was 67 bbl. The average daily pipe-line runs were less than the allocations of the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission, but slightly in excess of the state allowables recommended by the United States Bureau of Mines. The average daily production for the year was 105,437 barrels. The total number of completions in the state was 742, of which 638 were oil wells; 19 hydrocarbon gas wells; 5 carbon dioxide gas wells and 80 dry holes. Of the dry holes, 46 were in proven fields. Of these 46 dry holes, 13 were in the Artesia-Grayburg-Jackson-Maljamar area, Eddy County, two in the Getty Extension field, Eddy County, 11 in the Red Mountain field, McKinley County, three in the Rattlesnake field, San Juan County, and nine in the Aztec-Bloomfield area, San Juan County. There were only eight dry holes in the proven fields in Lea County. Southeastern New Mexico Lea County.—The Monument field was the largest producing field in Lea County, with 10,945,788 bbl., closely followed by the Eunice field with 10,927,929 bbl. The Hobbs field, formerly the largest producing field in Lea County, was relegated to third .place, with 7,292,522 barrels. Drjlling during the year closed the gap between the northern part of the Eunice field and the southern part of the Monument field. The wells in this area were relatively small, because of decreased porosity in the lime. The greatest activity in Lea County was in the Monument pool, with 199 completions, 197 being oil wells, one a gas well and one a dry hole.

Jan 1, 1938

The first session was held in the rooms of the American Philosophical Society, on Tuesday evening, February 26th. The President, Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, called the meeting to order, and after a few introductory remarks concerning the importance of theoretical and speculative science, which often involves principles of the highest economic value, and, more than all that, serves to enlarge our conceptions of the universe, and ennoble us, by the cultivation which it affords to our most exalted faculties, proceeded to discuss some points in the chemistry of the atmosphere. It is known that there is in the crust of the earth a great amount of oxidized carbon, not only in the shape of coal, but also in the graphite or plunlbago of the crystalline rocks, in the various bituminous shales or pyroschists, which are found in all succeeding rock-formations, and also in the forms of bitumen and petroleum. All the analogies of nature lead us to conclude that these various carbonaceous substances have had an organic origin, and have been generated by the deoxidation of carbonic acid, a process effected by the growing plant, and attended with the liberation of oxygen. He showed that the carbon of a layer of coal covering the whole earth's surface to the thickness of one meter, would, in its production from carbonic dioxide, liberate an amount of oxygen equal to that now present in our atmosphere. But bituminous coal contains also a large amount of hydrogen, derived from the deoxidation of water, which implies the liberation of a farther portion of oxygen. The amount from this latter source would equal, for the various coals and asphalts, from one-eighth to one-fourth, and, for the petroleums, onehalf of that set free in the deoxidation of the carbon which these hydrocarbonaceous bodies contain. From what we know of the composition of the stratified rocks, it is probable that they include an amount of deoxidized carbon and hydrogen many times greater than that contained in a layer of coal one meter in thickness, and, consequently, that the disengaged oxygen in past ages must have far exceeded that now present in our atmosphere. To this must be added

Jan 1, 1879

By J. French Robinson

A review of production in the Eastern District for 1930 is necessarily brief. Drilling operations were curtailed, due to economic conditions, which in turn reduced production. However, in spite of these conditions, there have been a few outstanding developments which surpass any of recent years. The development of a field in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, New York, has been rapid and probably reached its peak of production in 1930. The gas in this field comes from the White Medina Sand (Silurian), at an average depth of 2600 ft. Some of the wells had an open flow of 20,000,000 cu. ft. of gas per day,' with an original rock pressure of 965 pounds2 per square inch. Another area developed during 1930 was the Tyrone field, in Tyrone Township, Schuyler County, New York. This field was discovered 2nd is practically controlled by the Belmont Quadrangle Drilling Corpn. of New York. The production is from the Oriskany Sand (Devonian), which is found at an average depth of 2100 ft. The field covers approximately 2000 acres, and to date has 14 producing gas wells. The largest well had an open flow of 15,000,000 cu. ft. and an original rock pressure of 740 Ib. The gas from this field is impregnated with sulfur, and requires washing before it is marketed. Because little is known of the Oriskany Sand, a brief description may be of interest. This sand outcrops at Oriskany Falls, New York, and has a thickness of 10 to 12 ft. Its texture is coarse grained, it is composed mostly of quartz and is a regularly bedded sandstone. At Yauger's Wood, in Cayuga County, New York, it is exposed and shows a thickness of 26 feet. The discovery of the Tyrone field led to much prospecting in the New York and the northern part of Pennsylvania, and as a result of this search, the Allegany Gas Co. struck a large gas well in Farmington Township, Tioga County, Pennsylvania, which created considerable excitement through the Eastern District. The gas was encountered at a depth of 4010 ft., and tested 20,000,000 cu. ft. open flow, with a shut-in pressure

Jan 1, 1931

By David Keys

THE object of this investigation was to determine with a vertical magnetic variometer the extent of the titaniferous ore deposit that occurs not far from Ivry in Terrebonne County, Quebec, about 70 miles north of Montreal. The Ivry mine, on lots 37 and 38 of range V, Beres-ford township, Quebec, is one of the largest and most accessible to transportation of the deposits of ilmenite in Quebec. The ore consists of an aggregate of ilmenite anhedra serving as host for numerous fine plaques of hematite. No magnetite is known from any occurrence near this lot, and in this way the deposit differs from many others that contain a large percentage of magnetite with the ilmenite. The deposit at Ivry thus has much lower magnetic susceptibility than those containing abun-dant magnetite, and a sensitive magnetometer was necessary for the work, although a body of magnetite with ilmenite about a mile from the Ivry mine was successfully prospected with a dip needle. The principal orebody is exposed in a quarry known as the Ivry mine, from which about 16,000 tons of ore have been shipped. Small exposures of ilmenite isolated by drift serve to show the presence at the surface of some of the bodies indicated by the magnetometer,- but most of the hill is covered with glacial till and second growth hardwood. At the lower levels the till gives place to fluvioglacial sands and gravels from which the forest has been cleared. The increasing thickness of the sand and gravel as the hill descends makes the tracing outward of the deposits from the rocky knob of anorthosite a difficult matter. Within the orebodies too, some masses of anorthosite persist, which may account for some local irregularities. Fig. 1 is a photomicrograph, taken by reflected light, of a typical specimen of the ore. The dark patches are hematite and the light parts are ilmenite. No trace of magnetite was found. Fig. 2 is a photo-micrograph of a thin section of the country rock showing the texture of the anorthosite. The mean of four analyses quoted by Robinson1 is: titanium, 19.26 per cent; iron 45:41 per cent.

Jan 1, 1936

By L. H. Schwartz, S. K. Lahiri, M. E. Fine, D. Chandra

WHILE the yield stress of solution treated Fe-Cu alloys increases rapidly with aging, a precipitate has only been directly observed in overaged samples.'-" This precipitate is essentially pure fcc copper, the E phase. Hornbogen2 suggested that the initial hardening is due to clustering of copper atoms in a bcc iron matrix. Hornbogen was not able to obtain direct confirmation for such bcc clusters by either X-ray diffraction or electron microscopy; however, he did observe analogous clustering in Fe-Au alloys7 where the scattering factor difference between iron and gold is more favorable than that for iron and copper. Fujii, Nemoto, Suto, and Monma4 recently observed diffuse electron diffraction scattering in a 2.5 pct Cu alloy aged at 500°C: for 30 hr. They suggested that part of the diffuse SCattering was due to a modulated structure of 26 to 42 wavelength parallel to the (110) matrix plane. This disappeared with further aging. However, 30 hr at 500°C is well beyond the peak strengthening in this alloy which occurred at less than I hr at 500oc.4 By transmission electron microscopy they could not distinguish between quenched samples and samples aged to maximum strength. The purpose of the present investigation was to try to obtain further confirming evidence for a precipitation stage preceding the formation of the fcc E phase. Change in Young's modulus was selected for study be- EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The Fe-1.67 at. pct Cu alloy was supplied by the U.S. Steel Corporation in the form of a hot forged rectangular bar. The carbon and nitrogen contents of this alloy were 70 ppm and less than 10 ppm, respectively. The samples for Young's modulus measurements were made by cold swaging to & in. diam and cutting to 2 in. lengths. Tensile test samples 1 in. long were prepared by cold rolling to a thickness of 0.012 in. and then machining to gage dimensions of 0.5 by 0.012 in. For Mijssbauer studies, foils 1 mil thick were prepared by cold rolling. During fabrication the alloy was given intermediate anneals at 845OC followed by quenching. The specimens after preparation were solution treated at 1000°C (y field) or 845°C (a field) for 1 to 2 and 5 to 6 hr, respectively, in a dynamic vacuum of about 2 x lom6 torr. The tensile and modulus specimens were drop-quenched into iced brine through an aluminum foil which vacuum-sealed the bottom of the furnace tube. The MOssbauer foils were drop-quenched into helium gas cooled by passing through N2 (liq) in a copper coil. The grain diameter of the modulus and tensile specimens was between 0.025 and 0.035 mm. The samples were aged from 400" to 500°C in a dynamic vacuum of 2 x 10-6 torr and cooled by pulling into a water-cooled portion of the vacuum system. The dynamic Young's modulus was measured at room temperature using electrostatic excitation and detection of longitudinal vibrations.' Neglecting any length change during the aging, (this is expected to be comparatively small), the fractional change of Young's modulus (?Et)/Eav, is equal to twice the fractional change of the resonant frequency (?ft)/fav . ?ft =ft —fo where fo and ft are the resonant frequencies of a specimen before aging and after aging to time t. The measured f's, approximately 51,000 cps, were corrected to 25°C for any variation in the ambient temperature. The tensile tests reported were carried out at room temperature in an Instron with a 1000 lb full scale load cell. The flow stress reported herein corresponds to a strain of 0.002. The Massbauer spectra were taken in a constant acceleration model AM-1 NSEC spectrometer. The

Jan 1, 1970

By M. J. Pool, P. J. Spencer, R. V. Miner

The partial molar heat of solution of rhodiunz in liquid lin and Rh-Sn alloys has been measured as a function of rhodium concentration at 700" , 725" , 750" , and 775°K. The values at infinite dilution are very exo thermic, ranging from -29,950 to -28,260 cal per g-atom Rh at 700" and 775"K, respectively. At the solubility limit the heat of solution becomes sharply nzore exothermic and has permitted the liquidus boundary to be accurately established at each temperature. From the measurements in the two-phase region of liquid Plus RhSn, the heat of formation of RhSn,has been determined. A large increase in the heat of formation between 725" and 750°K suggests the possibility of a phase transformation in this compound. V ERY few measurements have been made of the heats of solution of transition metals in liquid tin; yet those values that are available are of great interest because of their very large exothermic nature. For example, the heat of solution at infinite dilution of palladium in tin has been measured as about -26,000 cal per g-atom (625" to 800°~),' while the heat of solution at infinite dilution of platinum is even more exothermic at -28,591 cal per g-atom (914°K).' These values are of the same order of magnitude as the heat of formation of many intermetallic compounds and as such clearly indicate that very strong bonding must exist between the solute and tin atoms in the liquid solutions. Rhodium might be expected to display similar solution characteristics in tin in view of its close electronic resemblance to palladium and platinum. Since no thermodynamic data are available for Rh-Sn alloys, rhodium was chosen as an appropriate solute for further investigation of transition-metal systems with highly exothermic heats of solution at infinite dilution. EXPERIMENTAL The heat of solution of rhodium in dilute Rh-Sn liquid solutions was measured as a functlon of rhodium concentration at 700°, 725", 750°, and 775°K. The liquid-metal solution calorimeter used in this work has been fully described elsewhere. At the start of each series of measurements, the solvent bath consisted of about 0.5 g-atoms of 99.9+ pct pure tin. To this was made a number of small rhodium additions, about 0.0005 g-atoms each, and the heat of solution was measured for each. Rhodium of 99.9+ pct purity in powder form was used in order to promote rapid dissolution in the liquid tin. The powder specimens were contained in tin foil stated to be purified (lead-free). This foil was found to have no measurable heat of solution in pure tin so the effect of any impurities could be neglected. The energy equivalent of the calorimeter was experi- mentally determined by dropping tungsten and/or tin specimens at intervals during each series of rhodium drops. The tungsten and tin used were 99.95 and 99.999+ pct pure, respectively. The only heat effect due to a tungsten drop, or a tin drop at low rhodium concentrations in the bath, is the sensible heat of the specimen. The heat content of these materials is well-established and is presented in the compilation of Hultgren et al. 4 As the rhodium concentration in the tin bath increases a small heat effect arises from the reaction: Sn (liquid, T) — & (soln, T) where T is the temperature of the tin bath. Where necessary, this heat of solution of tin was determined by Gibbs-Duhem integration, and corrections were made to the heat effect of the tin calibration specimens and the tin foil containing the rhodium specimens. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The calculated values of the heat of solution of rhodium in dilute Rh-Sn alloys as a function of composition are shown graphically in Fig. 1. The values have been corrected for the sensible heat of the specimens, initially at 273"K, and apply to the reaction:

Jan 1, 1969

By Douglas J. Harvey

The surface tension of lead-tellurium alloys (in the range 0 to 6.70 at. pct Te) ad lead-arsenic alloys (in the range 0 to 10.53 at. pct As) has been examined by the maximum bubble pressure method. The surface tension of high purity lead can be expressed over a range of temperatures (M.P. to 750°C) by the relationship = 512 — 0.133t. Arsenic and lellurium were both found to be surface active in lead. The surface excess concentration at 700°C was .found to be constant at 0.74 x 10-10 moles per sq cm for tellurium. The surface excess of arsenic at 700°C varied between 0.26 x 10-10 moles per sq cm at 0.16 at. pct to 1.5 x 10-10 moles per sq cm at 8.3 at. pet. The surface tension of lead has been investigated sporadically over the last 90 years. The first recorded study was made by Quincke1 who used a rather crude application of the drop-weight method. Hogness2 obtained the first reliable value for the surface tension of lead by measuring the pressure necessary to force the liquid metal from the end of a small capillary of known radius. Hogness gives the empirical formula: ?(surface tension)= 444 - 0.077 (l-327) which describes the relationship between surface tension and temperature ("C); This work was followed by that of Bircumshaw3 who applied the two-capillar maximum bubble pressure method of Sugden.4 The values published by Bircumshaw are in good agreement with those found by Hogness. Matuyama5 examined the surface tension of lead by the drop weight method. However, the values found are somewhat higher than those previously reported. More recent investigations by Greenaway6 and by Melford and oar' have resulted in data which are not in close agreement, but which are well within the expected range at most temperature levels. The study of the surface tension of lead alloys began with Drath and sauerwald8 who examined the lead-bismuth system. They found that the surface tension values of the alloys in this system deviated only slightly from the ideal mixture rule. Matuyarna5 examined the lead-antimony system. Bircumshaw the lead-tin, and the lead-indium system was studied by Hoar and Me1ford.10 The results of these investi- gations are summarized in Fig. 1. It may be seen that the data vary only slightly from the ideal mixture rule. As none of the metals studied and reported in the literature has a very interesting effect on the surface tension of lead,*the next logical step might be to examine the effect of metals of low solubility or nonmetals having some liquid solubility. Baes, and Kellogg11 have pointed out that the elements most likely to be surface active in liquid metals are ones of limited solubility in the liquid state and possessing weak intermolecular bonding forces in the solid state. Therefore, Group V, VI and VII nonmetals are most likely to be surface active. It was decided to examine the effect of a borderline metal, arsenic, and a nonmetal tellurium. Arsenic forms a eutectic with lead having a melting point of 290°C and a composition of 6.9 at. pct As.13 Pure arsenic sublimes when heated above 610°C. Even though alloying with lead lowers the vapor pressure, fumes containing arsenic are evolved at a very noticeable rate when lead-arsenic alloys are heated above 650°C. Tellurium raises the liquidus temperature of lead sharply to 904°C,14 the melting point of PbTe (lead-telluride). The solid solubility of tellurium in lead was determined by Greenwood and worner15 to be 0.0007 at. pct at room temperature. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD Surface Tension Measurement—The two capillary maximum bubble pressure method for measuring surface tension developed by Sugden,4 and used later

Jan 1, 1962

By Frances H. Clark

IN a concern with the varied interests of the Western Union Telegraph Co., where practically all types of metals, both ferrous and nonferrous, are utilized, many types of failures of materials occur. These have to do not only with outside plant construction, such as corrosion and fatigue of line wire and cable, but also with inside plant equipment operating at such high speeds that rapid deterioration of metal. parts due to fatigue and wear results. Both corrosion and fatigue affect the life of copper wire so its normal life in any particular locality is largely dependent on the atmospheric conditions. Tensions vary widely owing to changes in temperature and ice and wind loadings and the wire is Subject to a great range of vibration caused by wind gusts aril vibration front trains or other heavy vehicles transmitted through the earth. High frequency low-amplitude vibrations are sometimes audible as singing in the wire. The other extreme is the vertical slashing or dancing of the wire observed during severe storms where amplitudes of 9, ft. or more at low frequencies have been observed.

Jan 1, 1942