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GENTLEMEN Herewith are transmitted reports from the Treasurer and of the principal standing committees of the Institute. To these special reports members are referred for details as to the year's work. Despite the unfavorable business conditions obtaining throughout the year, the Institute was able to carry on its various activities without curtailment and without drawing on the surplus accumulated through previous years. In fact, small additions were made to the Life, Member¬ship and various other funds. It is highly desirable that such additions should continue to be made, especially to the Life Membership fund, for reasons reported last year. At present, money must be used from current receipts in order to enable the Institute to fulfill its obligations to those who on joining the organization commuted their dues by a single payment. In addition, with the passage of years the number increases of those who have paid dues forty years or more and who, by reason of age or dis¬ability, are unable longer to practise their profession. These men have supported the Institute through their active professional life and it would be a pity to lose them as members through resignation or for failure to keep up their dues. In accordance with the By-laws the Board has authority to advance such members, on application, to the Honor Roll of Senior Members and to relieve them from further payment of dues. It has been the policy of the Board to do this liberally, but to keep up this, as well as to meet other obligations, it is necessary for money to be provided. It has been estimated by the Treasurer that nearly $50,000 additional should be placed in the Life Membership fund as soon as possi¬ble to meet these obligations without using current income and to that end it is necessary, not only to avoid running behind currently but to earn, if possible, some surplus each year. The small amount transferred to the Life Membership fund from surplus this year was, as a matter of fact, made possible by certain members paying personally bills that were properly chargeable to the Treasury. Such generosity is common among those active in Institute work and probably no year would have closed with a surplus except for it.

Jan 1, 1923

By R. P. McLaughlin

In most branches of the mining industry it is a well-recognized fact that care must be taken to protect the mineral deposit from undue physical injury. It is comparatively easy to grasp this idea when the mineral is a solid and the lives of workmen depend directly upon the care with which it is removed from its natural position, but when the product is a liquid drawn up from pools several thousand feet beneath the surface of the ground through openings only a few inches in diameter, it requires some imagination to picture underground conditions and the changes which must often occur. The development of the petroleum deposits of California has been attended by numerous accidents, the results of which are readily noticed at the top of the wells and in the profit and loss accounts of the operators. Determination of the cause of these accidents has been the subject of considerable study, which naturally has fallen upon men familiar with technical methods. The greatest damage to the oil deposits of California has resulted from water finding its way into the oil-bearing sands, and it is the purpose of this paper to set forth briefly this phase of the oil industry. Much of the material here presented has previously appeared in publications issued by the California State Mining Bureau, which, under the direction of State Mineralogist Fletcher McN. Hamilton, has investigated the subject and taken steps toward improvement of conditions. The writer, having been in charge of this branch of the Bureau work, has gained considerable knowledge of existing conditions. Generally speaking, the oil-bearing formations of California are soft, unconsolidated sand beds, separated by clay strata, which are also soft. Some of the sand beds carry water instead of oil. All of the beds are more or less separated, probably being of lenticular shape. Very few of the beds in the oil fields lie flat or undisturbed over any great area. Folding and tilting are common, and faulting also occurs in some of the fields. The accumulation of oil is not confined to any single structural feature, such as the anticline, but occurs in many other structural features. Water-bearing strata occur in practically every oil field in the State. Complete data are not at hand for a comparison of the damage

Jan 1, 1916

By H. G. Doll

A new logging method, called induction logging, is described; it measures the conductivity, or resistivity, of the strata traversed by a bore hole. The apparatus, which is briefly described, comprises a coil system coupled with the ground by induction, so that there is no need for direct contact with the mud, or with the formations. For that reason, the method is particularly useful in oil base mud, and it was first applied to that case. A discussion concerning the respective contribution of each region of ground in the vicinity of the coil system is given. Through the concept of a geometrical factor, it is demonstrated that the total signal, which measures the apparent conductivity, is the summation of the partial products — geometrical factor by conductivity — for the different regions of the ground under consideration. It is thus possible to establish, for each type of coil arangement, investigation characteristic as well as departure curves and correction charts for beds of various thicknesses. This should greatly facilitate the quantative interpretation of the field logs, even in cases where such interpretation would have been difficult on electric logs taken with electrodes. It is also shown that focussing combinations of coils can be used, which give, directly on the recorded log, a value close to the true conductivity, even for fairly thin beds, thus eliminating in most cases the need for corrections. These focussing systems also give a sharper definition of the boundaries between successive strain.

Jan 1, 1949

By Warren H. Westphal

For mining and exploration, and indeed the entire mineral industry, the first century of AIME has ended with far more problems than it began. Paradoxically, most of these problems have arisen not because, the industry has been unsuccessful, but rather because it has succeeded too well. Whatever the public demand for minerals over the past 100 years, it has somehow been met-and met at a price well within the public's ability to pay for the products. But as AIME moves into its second century, the past successes of mining and exploration are beginning to levy a tax on the future. Prospectors have already found most of the rich and ready ores, and miners have dug them out. New mineral assets grow progressively harder to come by, and as they do, the need for them grows inversely more pressing. How and where and at what cost can adequate supplies be found? How and at what cost can they be mined from heretofore inaccessible recesses deep underground and under the seas-or from vast surface tonnages containing only minor values? And once they are found or won, how can these assets be husbanded for generations to come? How also can they be extracted without injury to the land, air and water on which we and our successors must depend? And what constructive use can be made of the incidental materials now treated merely as wastes-sometimes at great expense?

Jan 1, 1971

Raphael PUmpelly, who became a member of the Institute in 1871, the year of its organization, and retained his membership for a long period, died at his home in Newport, R. I., Aug. 10, 1923. He is survived by a son, Raphael, Jr., and by two daughters, one of whom is the wife of Prof. Henry L. Smyth, of Harvard. Doctor Pumpelly was born in Oswego, N. Y., in 1835. He studied sciences and mining engineering in Paris and at Freiberg, later taking his Doctor's degree at Princeton. He was Professor of Mining at Harvard from 1866 to 1873. Doctor Pumpelly made geological explorations in many lands. In 1861-63, he conducted a scientific exploration for the Japanese government, and for two years thereafter carried on researches in central, western, and northern China and Mongolia. In 1864-65, he undertook a voyage of exploration across the Gobi desert, returning to Europe through Siberia. He was State Geologist of Michigan from 1869 to 1871; Director of the Missouri Geological Survey from 1871 to 1873; and Chief of Division, U. S. Geological Survey, directing the mineral industries division of the tenth census. He organized and directed the Northern Transcontinental Survey, 1881-84; directed the explorations inaugurating the iron ore industry of most of the ranges of Michigan and Western Ontario, 1897-1901; initiated and directed a physical-geographical and archeo-logical exploration of Central Asia under the auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, 19034.2.

Jan 1, 1924

By J. C. Branner

DuriKg the past two or three years I have seen statements regarding the first discovery of fullers' earth in this country that seem to require correction or modification. One appears again in the Mineral Resources of the United States for 1909, part II., p. 738, where it is said that 'fullers' earth was firat discovered in the United States at Quincy, Fla., in 1893." In this connection the following bit of unpublished history concerning fullers' earth in the State of Arkansas is worthy of attention. In April, 1891, when I was State Geologist of Arkansas, a Swede named John Olsen, formerly a copper-miner in Michigan, but then living south of Little Rock, brought me a sample of what he thought mas fullers' earth. He reported that it was from near the town of Alexander, the locality being 1 S. 13 W., section 8, SW. quarter of the SE. quarter. My chemist, Dr. R. N. Brackett, analyzed the material, and reported: Per Cent. Silica,.....SiO2 .... 63.19 Alumina,.... A12O3 .... 18.76 Iron,.....Fe2O3 .... 7.05 Lime,.,...CaO .... 0.78 Magnesia,.... MgO .... 1.68 Potash,.... K2O ,... 0.21 Soda,.....Na2O .... 1.50 Loss on ignition,........7.57 100.74 Water at 110° to 115° C. = 7.84. Another sample from about the same locality, also brought by John Olsen, on analysis by Dr. Brackett gave :

Jan 1, 1913

On June 15, Dr. E. E. Southard gave the following report to the Advisory Committee on Industrial Mental Hygiene of the. Engineering Foundation. Psychiatric social work, a new specialty in social work, was the topic of several section meetings (500-600 in attendance) at the National Conference for Social Work, held at Atlantic City, June 1-6. The new specialty was stated, by Dr. R. C. Cabot, to be the greatest single advance in medical social work since its establishment. Reports from three schools (Smith, New York, Philadelphia) indicate a good production rate of personnel, probably at least one hundred a; year, chiefly to be absorbed by hospitals, unless industrial psychiatry steps into the field. No detailed public announcements concerning industrial psychiatry were made; but private discussions elicited approval only for the program. Indications are that many non-medical social workers will decide to get additional training to go into medical social work and then to specialize in psychiatric social work and that many medical social workers will desire to specialize in psychiatric social work, with a view partly to entering reconstruction work, partly to entering industrial psychiatry. Suggestion has been made that psychiatric social workers may go into some kinds of, employment management and may look for special courses to that end. Evidence. has been brought that certain "compensated" psychopathic employees have been good (even very good) workmen: emphasis should be laid on this point to show the constructive aspect of industrial psychiatry:

Jan 8, 1919

(Members are urged to send in for this. column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members.) Members and guests who called at the Institute headquarters during the period Sept. 10, 1916 to Oct. 10, 1916. Arthur K. Adams, Chanaral, Chile. C. F. Moore, Salt Lake City, Utah. Hiram W. Belnap, Washington, D. C. L. D. Moore, Providence, R. I. E. A. Bridgman, Seattle, Wash. George A. Morrison, Chicago, Ill. D. W. Buckly, Wallace, Idaho. Pablo Ortega, Havana, Cuba. G. L. Carlisle, Jr., New York, N. Y. L. W. Paige, New York, N. Y. Ernest H. A. Cohen, Johannesburg, So. Africa. Charles Petzel, New York N. Y. A. Faison Dixon, Camp Rio de Oro, Venezuela. C. A. Pierce, Patagonia, Arizona. Charles E. Dutton, Goldfield, Nev. W. E. Pomeroy, El Paso, Texas. D.-F. Hewitt, Washington, D. C. George S. Rice, Washington, D. C. . James E. Howard, Washington, D. C. G. J. Schofield, Seattle, Wash. A. 0. Ihlseng, Joplin, Mo. Warren D. Thompson, New York, N. Y. I. Ishikawa, Niagara Falls, N. Y. M. M. Valerius, Tulsa; Okla. Montrose L. Lee, New York, N. Y. G. B. Waterhouse, Buffalo, N. Y. V. H. McNutt, Billings, Mont. Joel H. Watkins Washington, D. C. Benjamin L. Miller, So. Bethlehem, Pa. H. P. Wherry, Chicago, Ill. Arthur K. Adams has left for Chile, where he will act as geologist for the Andes Copper Co., a subsidiary of the Anaconda copper company.

Jan 10, 1916

J. L. McK. YARDLEY,* Pittsburgh, Pa. (written dlscussion ?) .-It is interesting to observe how closely Mr. Hansen agrees with other investigators to the effect that the art of electrolytic zinc has left the realm of mystery. In his introduction, lie has said practically what Thomas French said in his paper "The Future of Electrolytic Zinc. "1 The successful electrolysis of zinc from sulphate solutions has not been an easy matter, and it is only within recent years that the difficult problem of depositing high-grade zinc has been satisfactorily: accomplished on a commercial basis. The principal requisite is. that the electrolyte shall be quite free from certain impurities. The methods by which freedom from these impurities is assured are now very well understood, and with experienced superintendents there is little difficulty in obtaining a high efficiency in that part of the process. When certain underlying principles are recognized, the difficulty encountered in dealing with the filtration of the acid and slimy solutions also largely disappears, although it has been a very serious one to the uninitiated. In the dissolving of the zinc from the roasted ore, there is nothing which any competent chemical' engineer cannot undertake, and any other operations connected with the electrolytic process are either of little or no difficulty, or are common to the retort process. Mr. Hansen also agrees with R. G. Hall's statement in " Some Economic Factors in the Production of Electrolytic Zinc:"2

Jan 10, 1918

By Ben Gumpertz

THE important factors in any study of the screening of sand with a gravel enve-lope, as applied to use in oil wells, are: (r) sand size and shape, (2) gravel size and shape, (3) ratio of gravel size to sand size, (4) flow velocity, (5) viscosity of the fluid. Perhaps the first extensive investigation of the function of gravel in screening sand was performed by Coberly and Wagner,1 from which the following conclusion was drawn: "The diameter of the largest grains in a single classified sand suitable for gravel packing is approximately 23 times the grain size at the ten-percentile analysis of the formation sample." This applies to sands classified by Tyler screens and is for gravel grains of the maximum size that could be used to form a stable bridge. Field practice has shown that the screening effect of a given gravel for a given sand apparently varies with the flow velocity.2 Also, it has been assumed by some opera-tors that the thickness of the walls of the gravel envelope surrounding the well has little effect upon the screening process. It is thought by others that a narrow envelope of gravel might form an ineffec-tive screen. Thus the purposes of this work are: I. To investigate the effect of gravel-sand size ratio upon screening action under the condition of varying flow velocities. 2. To investigate the effect upon screen-ing action of varying the thickness of the gravel screen.

Jan 1, 1940

By Frederick Prime

IN this second supplementary list no titles to which an * is. Pre-fixed have been seen by the compiler; and he will be most thankful to have, any omissions or inaccuracies in the list sent to him to be published as a third supplement in the next volume of- the Trans-actions. The author is indebted to Prof. J. J. Stevenson, of New York, Prof. P. R. Uhler and John W. M. Lee, Esq., of Baltimore, and Lloyd P. Smith, Esq., of Philadelphia, for valuable assistance. OFFICE, ALLENTOWN IRON COMPANY, 230 SOUTH THIRD STREET, PHILADELPHIA, September 5th, 1881. ALABAMA. Geological Survey of Alabama. Report of Progress for 1879 and 1880, by Eugene A. Smith, State Geologist. Montgomery, 1881. 8vo., 158 pp., and 2 maps. CALIFORNIA. Omit Report of Hon. T. Butler King, in Supplement 1. For Trash's Geology and Industrial Resources, etc., in Supplement I., read Tyson's, etc: Fremont's Memoir on Upper California, is also published as XXXth Congress, 1st Session. Senate Mis. Doe., No 148, and has a map. For Randall's Report in Supplement I, read Report of the Special Committee in favor of a Geological Survey, submitted by Mr. Randall, April 24th, 1851. a.d., 1851. 8vo., 1.9 pp. XXXIst Congress, 1st Session, Sea. Ex. Doc., No. 47, Part 2 [Part 1 is Tyson's Report.] Report of the Secretary of War in further compliance with the Resolution of the Senate, calling for Copies of

Jan 1, 1881

By E. P. Barrett

THE high-frequency laboratory induction furnace with a rotating liquid crucible enables research workers to conduct certain investigations heretofore very difficult or impossible to realize because vessels are not obtainable that are capable of resisting the physical conditions or the chemical actions to which they are subjected. Applications for patents covering commercial uses of centrifugal liquid crucibles were filed in the United States in 1919,1 in France in 1925, in the United States and Germany in 1926,2 and in France in 1927.3 In 1928, Schuette and Maier,4 of the Bureau of Mines, reported the construction of a whirling table beneath a high-frequency induction furnace. SHAPE AND SIZE OF CENTRIFUGAL LIQUID CRUCIBLES When a vessel containing a liquid is rotated, the inner surface of the liquid takes the shape f a paraboloid under the simultaneous action of centrifugal force and gravity. The internal dimensions of the paraboloid rotating liquid crucible are governed by the diameter of the container and its speed of rotation. Melted Wood's metal was poured into cylinders 2 ½ in. in diameter, which were rotated at 180, 300, and 468 r.p.m. When the metal was solid, a slurry of plaster of Paris was added, and rotation continued until the plaster had set. Fig. 1, a photograph of sections f the cylinders, shows the effect f speed f rotation of the containers upon the shape f the inner surface f the rotating liquid crucibles.

Jan 1, 1938

"Located on Missouri River 16 miles N. E. from Helena, 67 miles from Butte and 18 miles below Canyon Ferry. River drainage area 16,000 sq. miles.DAM: Built in 1907; rebuilt of concrete in 1911. Maximum height 129.3 ft., length over all 720 ft.; elevation of crest 3621; elevation of bridge 3640; normal head 60'; normal tail water elevation 3568.5.SPILLWAY: Length over all 491 ft.; clear opening in 24 sections; 445' flashboards, 14 high to elevation 3635, which is 3.5' above Canyon Ferry normal tail . water elevation.PENSTOCKS: 5 of steel, 12 ft. diam., about 75 ft. long from canal to main turbines, and 3 40-inch diam. from canal to exciters.WHEELS: 5 main pairs, horizontal, center discharge, 48-inch bronze turbines, 225 rev., 4,000 h-p. at 60 ft. head, made by S. Morgan Smith Co., direct coupled to generators, and--3 single, horizontal, 25-inch units, direct coupled to exciters.GENERATORS: 5 W. E. & M. Co. water wheel type, revolving field, 2,800 k-w., 2,400 v., 225 r. p. m., 3 phase, 60 cycle alternators.OPERATION: The plant has a larger water storage than Canyon Ferry and can also use stored water from Canyon Ferry storage. Separate transmission lines 13 miles long connect to lines from Canyon Ferry to Butte, and the Plant operates in parallel with the Canyon Ferry plant."

Jan 1, 1913

By D. J. Weintritt, J. C. Cowan

Methods of studying oilfield mineral .scale deposition in the laboratory do not work for barium sulfate because only small nonadhering crystals ore formed. On the other hand, barium sulfate scale found in down-hole or surface equipment is strongly adhering and may contain very large crystals. Results suggest that most of the difference derives from the extremely low .solubility of barium sulfate. Firm adherence of scale and the consistent development of oriented crystals 100 microns and larger suggest a relationship between scale adherence and crysta1 growth. Data from this study indicate some reasons for barium sulfate's occurring as a deposit in oilfield waters. The unique characteristics as well as the associative properties of barium sulfate scale as related to calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate ere shown. INTRODUCTION The first observed deposition of barium sulfate scale in oilfield production equipment is unknown but probably coincides closely with the beginnings of the oil industry itself. Moore' described barite oolites in some producing wells in the Saratoga field, Tex., in 1914. Currently, positive identification of barium sulfate deposition is recorded in most of the major oil-producing areas of the United States. As efforts continue to identify the composition and functions of the materials found in scale deposits, the geographic and economic importance of the part played by barium sulfate will become even more important. This belief is based on the following Facts. 1. Many oil fields in the U.S. are in or entering their mature phase and the volume of produced water is increasing; thus, the cumulative effects of low-solubility minerals become more significant. 2. Secondary recovery techniques and increased emphasis on waste disposal systems require controlling the behavior of all constituents of water to prevent formation plugging. 3. The more general use of instrumental analysis has reduced the time and improved the accuracy of complete scale and water analysis. 4. Once formed, barium sulfate scale is resistant to present methods of chemical removal; therefore, costly mechanical methods are necessary. Thus, new methods of prevention and control will require specialized chemical techniques and better knowledge of the causes of scaling. Consider the results of some simulated field deposition studies illustrating this need (Fig. 1). The studies utilized a Scale Deposition Test Cell* and each coupon was exposed to 8,000 ml of a 300 me/liter solution of the various types of mineral scale. All tests were conducted at 140F. Only the calcium sulfate and calcium carbonate deposited scale. The solution containing 300 me/liter of barium sulfate exhibited copious amounts of precipitate, but none of the precipitate adhered. The fluids from the effluents were also allowed to impinge on glass slides. Fig. 1 shows the relative adherence of the three types of scale on unetched glass. The barium sulfate failed to deposit in the same manner as the calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate solutions.

By J. M. W. Mackenzie, M. H. Buckenam

Flotation experiments using stearic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and ricinoleic acids and naturally occuring products rich in these acids as collectors for calcite are described. The results confirm the validity of the rule of Hukki and Vartiainen relating the collecting power and unsaturation of the C18 acids. Reasons for this relationship are discussed and a close relationship between mineral depression and critical micelle concentration is reported. It has long been recognized that the unsaturated fatty acids are in general superior flotation collectors to their saturated homologues. Whereas earlier workers concentrated on saturated and monoethe-noid acids, recent investigations have centered on oleic, linoleic, linolenic, and the substituted mono-ethenoid acid: ricinoleic. From studies of the collecting properties of palmitic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids on ilmenite, rutile, hematite, and magnetite, Hukki and Vartiai-nenl concluded that the collecting power of fatty acids increased with unsaturation of the hydrocarbon chain. Sun, Snow, and Purcel12 investigated the collecting properties of unsaturated fatty acids as collectors for phosphate ores and concluded that the collecting power increased with increasing unsaturation of the hydrocarbon chain up to two double bonds and that further unsaturation decreased the collecting power. More recently Sun3 studied the collecting power of the C18 fatty acids stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic on 37 minerals. The results of these experiments with a few exceptions showed that the collecting power of the acids increased in the order stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic. The relative collecting powers of linoleic and linolenic acids were in many cases altered by the cleanliness of the mineral surface prior to flotation. Sun concluded that linolenic acid may become oxidized by atmospheric oxygen during flotation, a reaction which would reduce its effectiveness as a collector. This deduction is supported by Gaudin and Cole4 who concluded that oleic and linoleic acids do not undergo appreciable oxidation of the double bonds during flotation but that the linolenic acid double bonds are measurably affected. The most complete investigation on the influence of hydrocarbon chain unsaturation on the collecting properties of fatty acids is that of Kivalo and Lehm~svaara.~ These workers using linolenic acid of a higher purity than Hukki and Vartiainen showed that this acid was superior to oleic and linoleic acids as a collector for magnetite. They also found that ricinoleic acid was a more effective collector for this mineral than the other acids investigated, an observation particularly apparent at high collector concentrations. Seeking to explain the superiority of the unsaturated acids these authors considered the effects of critical micelle concentration, surface activity, hydrolysis, and cross sectional area of the hydrocarbon chain in relation to unsaturation. Using what, according to the results of Caviere are erroneous surface tensions of the soap solutions of these acids, they concluded that the surface activity decreases and the critical micelle concentration increases with increasing unsaturation. In view of the data of Cavier, whose results show that surface activity of these soaps increases with unsaturation, the deductions of Kivalo and Lehmusvaara are open to criticism. The degree of hydrolysis of the soap solutions as measured by Kivalo and Lehmusvaara decreases as the unsaturation of the fatty acid increases, a result which helps to explain the superiority of unsaturated acids as collectors. In view of the superiority of unsaturated acids as collectors for many minerals, attention has been directed towards the utilization of fatty acid raw materials such as tall oils and linseed oils which contain considerable quantities of these acids. This paper describes test work to determine the effect of unsaturation of the hydrocarbon chain on the collecting properties of fatty acids on calcite, and includes comparable test work using natural products rich in unsaturated acids. TEST WORK Reagents: The pure fatty acids used were oleic, linoleic, and linolenic. Of these, oleic was supplied by British Drug Houses Ltd. and the others were produced by the Hormel Inst. When not in use these

Jan 1, 1961

By John A. Gann

The following investigation constitutes a brief réumé of the more important binary magnesium alloys from the standpoint of metallo-graphic technique, and the effect of heat treatment on structure and properties. The comparative newness of the subject justifies this procedure as a preface to a more detailed study of each individual series of alloys. The work was started with the idea of practical application in the industry rather than as a theoretical investigation. The alloy compositions studied were selected as those most likely to show whether heat treatment would produce beneficial results. Furthermore, it was considered satisfactory to use commercial 99.9 per cent. magnesium, the best commercial grade of alloying ingredients, and to limit the time of heat treatment at the expense of incomplete equilibrium. These facts must be kept in mind when examining the results obtained, and the conclusions drawn. Preparation of Alloys All melts were made in an oil-fired cast-steel pot, approximately 12 in. dia, by 12 in. deep. Approximately 15 lb. of flux and 50 lb. of magnesium were melted and the calculated amount of alloying metal was added. After thorough alloying and puddling, the metal was chill cast in a graphite mold with four 1/2 by 1/2 by 4 in. bars fed from a common sprue and runner. The next higher composition alloy in a given series was made by adding the calculated amount of metal to the heel from the preceding cast. The pot was thoroughly cleaned after each series and new flux then introduced, thus avoiding possible contamination from earlier melts. The percentage compositions given in Table 1 are the calculated values. While not all alloys were analyzed, enough were checked to indicate that the reported compositions are correct to a few tenths of one per cent. A more detailed description of the foundry methods employed has been given in a previous paper. 1

Jan 1, 1929

By John A. Gann

The following investigation constitutes a brief réumé of the more important binary magnesium alloys from the standpoint of metallo-graphic technique, and the effect of heat treatment on structure and properties. The comparative newness of the subject justifies this procedure as a preface to a more detailed study of each individual series of alloys. The work was started with the idea of practical application in the industry rather than as a theoretical investigation. The alloy compositions studied were selected as those most likely to show whether heat treatment would produce beneficial results. Furthermore, it was considered satisfactory to use commercial 99.9 per cent. magnesium, the best commercial grade of alloying ingredients, and to limit the time of heat treatment at the expense of incomplete equilibrium. These facts must be kept in mind when examining the results obtained, and the conclusions drawn. Preparation of Alloys All melts were made in an oil-fired cast-steel pot, approximately 12 in. dia, by 12 in. deep. Approximately 15 lb. of flux and 50 lb. of magnesium were melted and the calculated amount of alloying metal was added. After thorough alloying and puddling, the metal was chill cast in a graphite mold with four 1/2 by 1/2 by 4 in. bars fed from a common sprue and runner. The next higher composition alloy in a given series was made by adding the calculated amount of metal to the heel from the preceding cast. The pot was thoroughly cleaned after each series and new flux then introduced, thus avoiding possible contamination from earlier melts. The percentage compositions given in Table 1 are the calculated values. While not all alloys were analyzed, enough were checked to indicate that the reported compositions are correct to a few tenths of one per cent. A more detailed description of the foundry methods employed has been given in a previous paper. 1

Jan 1, 1929

By W. P. Sykes

In connection with a study of tungsten steels, Honda and Murakamil reported an investigation of the system iron-tungsten. This report included a tentative equilibrium diagram, photomicrographs of various alloys in the series, and qualitative measurements of hardness and magnetic properties. The present investigation originally had as its object the study of the hardness and tensile properties of a series of carbon-free iron-tungsten alloys. But, as the work progressed it became evident that the system possessed other features of interest, so the scope of the investigation was enlarged. Materials The iron powder used in preparing the alloys was obtained as follows : Iron oxalate was precipitated from a ferrous-sulfate solution by the addition of a solution of oxalic acid. This oxalate, after thorough washing, was ignited to iron oxide, which after reduction in hydrogen at about 1000" C. yielded iron powder containing but about 0.2 per cent. iron oxide and about 0.005 per cent. carbon. Tungsten metal in the form of powder, such as is used in the manufacture of filaments for incandescent lamps, was the other constituent. This material analyzed 99.8 per cent. tungsten and contained no carbon. The metal powders, in the desired proportions, were mixed by tumbling and formed, under pressure of 20 tons per sq. in., into rods 3/8 by 3/8 by 10 in. To form the alloys without contamination, sections of the pressed rods were placed on alundum slabs and heated in an alundum tube wound with a tungsten resistor and packed in heat-insulating material. While the resistor was heated, a stream of hydrogen was continually passed through both the tube and the case containing it. The tungsten winding on the tube, as well as the material heated within the tube, was thus protected from oxidation. Such a furnace will operate constantly for several days at temperatures up to 1500' C. and for shorter periods

Jan 1, 1926

By W. A. Klikoff, I. Fatt

The concept of fractional wet wattability is examined. Fractional water wettability of a reservoir rock is defined as the fraction of the internal surface urea that is in contact with water. Capillary pressure and relalive permeability of unconsolidated sand are shown to be functions of fractional wettability. INTRODUCTION The petroleum industry has long recognized that wettability of reservoir rock has an important effect on multiphase flow of oil, water and gas through reservoirs. As early as 1928 the American Petroleum Institute sponsored a study of wettability as part of API Project 27 at the U. of Michigan.' Despite 30 years of research, there is still little exact knowledge of the wettability of reservoir rocks. There are two parts to the wettability problem. After agreeing to a uniform nomenclature in regard to wettability,' the first question to be answered is, "What is the in situ wettability of a given reservoir rock?" If this can he answered the next question is, "What part does wettability play in determining the characteristics of multiphase fluid flow through the rock?" This paper represents an oblique attack on the problem of wettability. No attempt is made here to answer the basic question of wettability in situ. instead the consequences of the concept of fractional wettability are examined. Multiphase flow in sandpacks is shown to he highly influenced by fractional wettability. Jennings' has given 3 definition of wettability and the other terms used in discussing wettability. These terms must be applied to the physical situation existing In reservoir rock. A survey of the pertinent literature from 1928 to 1956 indicates that the concept of a contact angle was applied to reservoir rock in the same way it would be applied to a flat, homogeneous surface. Attempts were made to state quantitatively the wettability of a reservoir rock in terms of a contact angle which was presumably constant at all points on the very rough and heterogeneous interior surface of a porous rock. Calhoun, et al,3-6 prepared synthetic consolidated and un-consolidated porous media in which they claimed there was a known uniform contact angle. They then showed the effects on the capillary pressure and relative permeability characteristics of varying this angle. The API Project 47 at the U. of Texas' and others' have made extensive studies of an indirect approach to the contact angle through the use of heat of wetting data. Even if successful. however, this approach also states the wettability of porous rock in terms of a contact angle which is uniform over the entirc surface. If the angle varies from one part to another on the internal surface, there is no way of determining from the measurements the area distribution of contact angles. In 1956 Brown and Fatt5 suggested that the concept of a contact angle, as applied to reservoir rock, be abandoned. This suggestion was made because it is known that the internal surface of most reservoir rocks is composed of many different minerals, cach with a different surface chemistry and a different capacity to adsorh surface active materials from reservoir fluids. Furthermore, the operation of a contact angle in determining the form of a fluid-fluid interface is difficult to picture in the very complex geometry of a pore. Brown and Fatt proposed that the wettability of reservoir rock be stated in terms of the fractional internal surface area that is in contact with water or oil. All surfaces on which there is water are called water-wet; surfaces on which there is oil are called oil-wet. The fractional water wettability is then stated as a number which represents the fraction of the internal surface that is in contact with water. A symmetrical statement can be made for the fractional oil wettability. The concept of a fractional wettability as previously stated has in its favor the recognition of the heterogeneous mineral composition of most reservoir rocks. Another point in its favor is that fractional wettability can be measured quantitatively with relative ease. Hol-brook and Bernard10 se a simple dye adsorption test to obtain fractional wettability of reservoir rocks. Amott11 uses a combination of imbibition and displacement to arrive at a wettability index of reservoir rocks which seems related to fractional wettability in the range 0.25 to 0.75 fractional water wettability. Jennings" has shown the changes in relative permeability that take place when a porous material is changed from unity to zero fractional water wettability. He also shows that reservoir rocks in their natural state, but at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, have relative permeability characteristics which would indi-

By H. O. Jahns

This paper describes the application of regression analysis for obtaining a two-dimensional areal description of heterogeneous reservoirs from short-term pressure-time data such as that obtained in interference tests. The method replaces the time-consuming trial-and-error procedure commonly used to match field data on an electric analyzer or digital computer with a systematic search which is programmed for a computer. The computer program adjusts the properties of a reservoir model automatically until a least-squares fit is obtained between observed and calculated pressure data. The reservoir is simulated by a single-phase, compressible, two-dimensional model. It is divided into a number of homogeneous blocks whose transmissibility (kh/F) and storage (Fch) values are varied to obtain the least-squares fit. The reliability of these values is determined from their standard deviations and correlation coefficients. Although the method is rigorously applicable to single-phase flow only, multiphase flow can be handled provided saturation changes are small during the test. Possibly the method can also be used to obtain a reservoir description from pressure-production history, but this application is outside the scope of this work. The paper includes, in addition to a description of the numerical procedure, a discussion of some of the problems associated with the method. Rules are given to help in selecting the number of homogeneous blocks and deciding upon their arrangement. The uniqueness of a reservoir description is considered. Finally, the use of the method is illustrated by the interpretation of field data from two interference tests. INTRODUCTION Pressure data from short-term transient tests, such as single-well and interference tests, are widely used to obtain reservoir properties. These tests are usually analyzed by assuming a simple reservoir model; very often, a homogeneous one is used. As a result, analysis of the transient data from each well frequently gives different values for reservoir properties. The problem then arises to combine all these differing results into a more detailed picture of the reservoir. One technique is to simulate the reservoir with a digital computer or with an electrical analyzer and to adjust the reservoir parameters by trial and error until the simulated pressure data are in reasonable agreement with the observed pressure data for all wells. Although this method has been used for both transient tests and pressure-history data, it is time-consuming and subjective. A second technique uses regression analysis to replace the trial-and-error procedure with a systematic search that can be programmed for a digital computer. Use of regression analysis in reservoir description was proposed recently by Jacquard and Jain.1 They divided the reservoir into a number of homogeneous blocks whose properties are varied until a least-squares fit is obtained between observed and calculated pressures. However, they did not consider their technique to be operational, mainly because of ".. .(I) the lack of experience in using the method .. . notably for the improvement of convergence; and (2) limitations imposed by the insufficiency of available computers". 1 While the analysis presented in this paper applies the same general principle used by Jacquard and Jain, the specific method is significantly different. Some differences are (1) the regression problem is solved in a different way which requires less computer time in most cases; (2) a stepwise solution, in which the detail in the reservoir description is increased from step to step, is used to improve convergence; and (3) the reliability of the estimated reservoir .properties.. as measured by their standard deviation and correlation coefficient, is estimated'

Jan 1, 1967