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H. H. Campbell, Steelton, Pa. (communication to the Secretary) : I wish to thank Mr. Webster for the copious quotations he has made from my writings, as he has given nearly all the arguments I wish to advance. It is necessary to note, however, his statement that most of his experiments were made on universal-mill plates, and that these were not subject to my condemnation of irregularity. I think this is a mistake. It is well known that universal-mill plates are finished under very different conditions of temperature, with the express purpose of regulating the tensile strength. This is a perfectly legitimate practice; but it renders almost worthless any calculations on the relations of the chemical and physical equations when the influence of such finishing is omitted. Another important point Mr. Webster has not answered at all. I have shown by an excerpt from his own table that two entirely different formulæ may be constructed; and it is undeniable that one is as valid as the other, since Mr. Webster started with no premise at all save an assumption that the effect of carbon was constant. This was an assumption pure and simple, and hence has no special virtue. The whole result of Mr. Webster's investigation is not that the effect of carbon is a constant, and that those of phosphorus and manganese are variables. On the contrary, there are two answers, with nothing to show which is right. We learn that if carbon is a constant, then phosphorus and manganese are variables; but that if phosphorus and manganese are constants, then carbon is a variable. This is a distinct advance over complete ignorance, but it is not final and satisfactory from either a mathematical or metallurgical standpoint. Regarding my own formulæ, I would say that they are used regularly in the testing-laboratories of the Pennsylvania Steel Company. The tensile strength of every heat is calculated

Jan 1, 1899

By Dever C. Ashmead

COAL companies in the anthracite region are studying various methods of mining that will permit a considerably shorter life of gangway and therefore a decrease in the maintenance charges. Maintenance charges in the upkeep of gangways where the measures are steeply pitching are high due to the excessive cost of the replacement of timbers and the cleaning up of falls. Therefore, if the length of gangway in the coal beds can be decreased and the mining more concentrated, the life of the coal gangways will be decreased and consequently the maintenance charges will be lower per ton of coal produced. Customary practice in the anthracite region is to drive long coal gangways and to work the breasts as the gangway from which they were driven is advanced.

Jan 1, 1925

By George S. Rice

THE wide scope of the causes and effects of ground movement and their interrelation to various kinds of mining and geological conditions are not always understood. Minimizing of roof movement by selection of suitable mining methods is closely allied to the problem of obtaining maximum safety in mining, but there are other questions involved: for example, mechanical developments which increase the production of ore and other minerals per shift or unit of labor but which, though highly ingenious, may increase hazards. More- over, the newer mobile loaders need much space for operation with longer protecting roof spans. Another problem emphasized by mechanization is the incompleteness of extraction of mineral, as there is no governmental requirement (except for limited leases on the public domain) in this country, as in European countries, and loss of coal in pillars is accepted by mine operators rather than risking the loss of an ex- pensive loading machine from a heavy roof fall. The extent to which losses of coal in mining are now being incurred is conjectural, for it has been fifteen years since there has been a comprehensive survey. In that study a loss of slightly over one-third of the coal in both anthracite and bituminous mining was indicated.

Jan 1, 1939

EDITORIAL comments on the anthracite report of the Federal Fact-finding Coal Commission, which became public on July 5, together with an analysis of its more important conclusions, will be found on another page of this issue. In this place, only a few extracts from the report, bearing more directly on technical matters, can be quoted, for lack of space. COST OF MINING Mining cost, as it stands on the books of each mining company, represents the average cost of the total output, all sizes, of anthracite. Egg coal has at least five times the market value of barley, but these' sizes are mined together and their costs can not be separated. Mine costs directly reflect the conditions under which these deposits of coal are recovered. Even within the few counties in which anthracite is found there is a conspicuous range of natural conditions. The distinc-tion between the Northern, Middle, and Southern field, or, as they are also termed, the Wyoming, Lehigh, and Schuykill regions, is primarily geologic and topo-graphic, but the effects of the natural conditions largely control costs. The contrast is great between Some of the level-lying beds of moderate but fairly constant thickness under the broad Wyoming Valley, where mining and underground haulage present relatively simple problems to the engineer, and the steeply pitching or overturned and faulted beds of variable thickness in the Schuykill field, where crushed coal' and treacherous roof multiply the difficulties of mining; and increase the unavoidable waste. Even more direct is the connection between geologic processes and the, differences in the character of the coal as mined, the varying proportions of large and small sizes demanding differences in preparation and resulting in different average prices realized for the product of the mines.

Jan 8, 1923

By V. F. Leferrer

A new process for the treatment of silver crusts from desilverization of lead has been developed by Societe de Penarroya. The zinc contained in the crusts is recuperated by vacuum distillation at low temperature. The use of special retort crucibles is avoided. AT Noyelles-Godault the Parkes process (zinc addition to a silver-bearing lead melt) is used to desilverize lead bullion from the blast furnace. The crust which rises to the surface of the bath is removed and pressed by a well-known process in a press of the Howard type. The pressed crust, called zinc crust or silver crust, contains 10 pct Ag, 30 pct Zn, and 60 pct Pb. It is melted under a salt bed in a small, narrow, and deep kettle heated only in its upper part. A liquid concentrated alloy is obtained which is called T.A.C. in France (triple alliage concentr6) analyzing approximately 25 pct Ag, 65 pct Zn, 8 to 10 pct Pb, and 1 to 1.5 pct Cu. This T.A.C. is a real metallic alloy, completely deoxidized, and can be stored indefinitely. The process used at Noyelles-Godault consists in distilling this alloy in a tight furnace, under low vacuum and at low temperature, so that only the zinc distills and is condensed into liquid form. The residual silver-bearing lead is almost entirely free from zinc and oxidized dross. The vacuum dezincing equipment, see Figs. 1 and 2, consists of: 1) A furnace, constituted of a casing of steel plate lined with refractory bricks, heated internally by means of graphite resistors. The temperature of the furnace is measured by a thermocouple device and controlled by an automatic temperature regulator which acts upon the flow of the current passing through the resistors. Two doors, numbered 1 and 2 in Fig. 2, are provided for, one for charging the T.A.C., the other for tapping the high silver-bearing lead. 2) A condenser, and an ordinary room lined with good heat conductor refractory material. This condenser is provided with a graphite resistor which serves to bring to temperature when starting the furnace. A thermocouple records the temperature of the zinc melt and controls the temperature in the furnace, that is, the flow of current through the resistors, by means of the above mentioned regulator, so that the distillation rate in the furnace does not exceed that of the condensation. The condenser is connected to the vacuum pump by a filter. The whole equipment should, of course, be fluid-tight. The operation is carried out under a vacuum of about 10 mm Hg.

Jan 1, 1958

By Jay A. Carpenter

FIRST of several sessions at the Annual Meeting devoted to mining methods was a joint program with the Coal Division devoted to the use of Diesels underground. Fred W. Stiefel, in the first paper, stressed the saving in original cost and in operation. Wm. B. Harris then presented the paper of which he was a joint author, and S. H. Ash stressed the poisonous nature of nitrous fumes from Diesel engines even in minute quantity. Determination is difficult but in exhaust gases they are present in amount two to five times that of carbon monoxide. Jay A. Carpenter, in the closing paper of the session, stated that state laws in general prohibit the use of Diesels underground, and that almost all mine inspectors are opposed.

Jan 1, 1942

By Alfred Weiss

Over the past 25 years hard-rock mining companies have developed a number of profitable computer applications which appear applicable to operations in the coal industry. The evolution of these applications are described and the most profitable discussed. The basic nature of these systems is that they must cut across organizational boundaries. While technological advances contributed significantly to the successful implementation of computers within mining, the human aspects related to organization, management and control of systems projects remain as key to future success in coal as they were and still are in hard-rock mining.

Jan 1, 1983

Jan 1, 1926

By ALFRED KAUFFMAN

NO matter what position we hold, workman, foreman, superintendent, manager, president, or what not, let us fail to give or to make good products, then see how quickly we'll be called to account for- our work by the buying public. The waves of progress taught us that millions were wasted in unnecessary strikes-we also learned that many losses were due to neglect on the part of manufacturers to give the same consideration and attention to the human element of their factory as they gave to their machinery. The employees learned also that the employer was their agent who found purchasers for the product of their labor. So between the two we learned that many years of labor were needed in order for a worker to recover his wasted savings, or for the manu¬facturer to replenish his loss. Treat 'em rough, and tell 'em nothing, was not very far from the true relationship between management and employees in manufacturing plants in the early days. Today just exactly the opposite views are held by executives whose function is the handling of employees. Men today want to know what it is all about. They are intelligent enough to comprehend the facts, and to use them constructively, and it is good business to give them the information.

Jan 1, 1929

By Lynn C. Jacobsen

Among the unforeseen consequences of the 1973 Arab oil embargo has been a considerable array of new or increased taxes on the so-called energy minerals. These taxes will be the subject of this report. Both Federal and State taxes have been enacted, but I will be concerned mostly with state severance taxes and particularly those on uranium. Severance taxes are considered to include all taxes having the distinctive feature of being applied on a natural resource at the stage of extraction. The tax may be based on units of production or on value, and if on values it may be on gross value or on gross value less either arbitrary or cost-related deductions. The tax has a number of aliases - resource excise tax, conservation tax, privilege tax, mining excise tax, ad valorem production tax, and more - and this makes comparison of tax burdens among states difficult. The windfall profit tax on oil is an example of a severance tax at the Federal level. Severance taxes are an established feature of state tax systems, but they continue to be a controversial issue, and proposals to raise or modify existing severance taxes are regularly submitted to the legislatures of the Western energy producing states. No concensus exists as to what is a reason- able and proper level of severance taxation or to the form it should take. The taxes which have been adopted by the various states reflect the interaction of a variety of interests and the specific circum- stances in each state. What follows is a summary of theoretical, practical, and emotional viewpoints and arguments that surface in any statehouse in which a severance tax bill has been introduced. The New Mexico experience will be heavily relied upon. THE ECONOMISTS Marginal effects. A severance tax which is based on a gross percentage of revenue or on units of production is a constant addition to variable costs, and to the mine operator has the same effect as any other increase in operating costs. The direction of these effects is straightforward: the tax will cause the property to have a lowered present value, to be mined at a lower rate than without the tax, raise the minimum grade that will be mined, lead to lower total recovery, make marginal properties sub-marginal and discriminate in favor of richer, more profitable operations (Lockner, 1965; Steele, 1967). In the short run, production facilities are fixed and imposition of a severance tax will have little effect on production levels. In the longer term, capital is mobile and investment and exploration expenditures will shift from minerals and jurisdictions with high taxes to those with low taxes. Over a considerable range of taxation the effect will be to change the relative position of the taxing state, but an overly optimistic evaluation of the capacity of mineral producers to absorb a tax can bring an industry to a halt. It is generally acknowledged that imposition of high severance taxes on taconite in Minnesota stopped development completely, and that only the adoption of a constitutional amendment limiting the amount of taxes that could be imposed in the future brought the firms back and encouraged them to make the huge investments required (Weaton, 1969). A tax which is a percentage of the net operating income (gross revenue less cash operating costs) does not influence the cut-off grade for recovery nor change the time preference for extraction, and hence, is free of the negative features of the tax applied to gross revenues or units of production. In theory it is a more efficient tax but relative administrative complexity and inherent difficulty in predicting revenue have discouraged its use. The Wyoming severance tax on uranium, which uses grade of ore as well as price in establishing taxable value, is the most cost related, and hence, the most neutral and efficient of the various state severance taxes on uranium. Economic rent. Despite the discrimination and the anti-conservation aspect inherent in most severance taxes, economists generally endorse their use because they are seen as a vehicle to appropriate rents - that is, returns greater than the long-run competitive supply price. Conspicuous examples of supposed economic rents are the returns to oil producers because of the OPEC cartel, the returns of the uranium producers under AEC buying contracts in the 19501s, and the high prices obtained by the uranium producers for contracts entered into in the 1976-1979 period. Mining of coal in the Western states is believed by some to generate huge economic rents because of the OPEC caused increase in price of a competitive fuel (McLure, 1978, p. 261), and possibly because of clean air regulations favoring the burning of low-sulfur coal. In theory, such surplus returns could be taxed completely away without affecting supply. In practice, the situation is more complex (Steele, 1967, pp. 234-236); economic rent of mineral production is an elusive quantity involving as it does replacement costs, and technical and market risk, and it, like beauty or pornography, probably exists mostly in the eye of the beholder. Rent may also be perceived to be present in the upper portion of a cyclic market which also has a downside. Where rent exists, it is almost certain to be short-lived - cartels self- destruct, government subsidies end, competitive adjustments occur - but the taxes imposed to capture it tend to be immortal. There is little doubt that the perception of un- usual and undeserved (obscene) profits in the mid- and late 1970's was a major factor in the adoption of energy mineral taxes strikingly higher than had been previously considered. At the New Mexico legislature of 1977 supporters of a moderate tax were repeatedly confronted with some variant of the statement, "You can't expect me to believe that a

Jan 1, 1982

By Gary Beerkircher

The mine hoisting equipment that is selected and installed at a mine is the lifeline of the mine, and therefore the proper selection of equipment will save a lot of time and money during the life of the mine. Various types of mine hoist designs &e available today, and each has their advantages and disadvantages. Double Drum Hoists, Single Drum Hoists, Friction Hoists and various special designs of these are available but should only be used on applications where they are suitable. There have been several new drive systems for mine hoists which have come into the picture in the last ten years, and they in turn must be evaluated along with the existing drive systems for each hoist application. It does not make sense to properly select the hoist mechanicals, and then have a drive system that turns out to be a bottleneck. This paper will attempt to cover the above noted systems - both the hoist selection and hoist drive system that will provide the mine with a reliable and economical hoisting system. I. Mine Hoist Types There are two basic types of mine hoists available in the world today: the drum hoist on which the hoist rope is actually stored during the hoisting cycle, and the friction (Koepe), which merely passes the rope over the wheel during the hoisting process. Following is a general outline of each type of hoist and the hoisting applications that they are suitable for. First let us consider the simple Single Drum Hoist. As a Service or Production Hoist with cage or skip in balance with a counterweight, a Single Drum Hoist can efficiently service one or more levels since the location of the counterweight at anytime is not important. As a Production Hoist with skips in balance the Single Drum Hoist is best used for single level hoisting. All rope adjustments for proper spotting must be done manually for the Single Drum Hoist. This has to be done periodically to compensate for rope stretch. A variation of the Single Drum Hoist is the divided drum hoist. If multi-layer winding is necessary the Single Drum Hoist must have a divider to allow a separate compartment for each rope. If a counterweight is used with a divided drum application the counterweight rope can be wound on a smaller diameter (Figure 2). Consequently, it moves a lesser distance than the main conveyance and rope adjustment problems are reduced.

Jan 1, 1975

By C. H. Herty

Almost every metallurgist who has given the Howe Memorial Lecture has had a personal contact with the distinguished gentleman to whose honor this hour is devoted. Unfortunately for me, such personal contacts were not possible. However, in the preparation of a thesis on the open-hearth process, one of my earliest tasks was to make a survey of the literature, and it was from Professor Howe's Metallurgy of Iron and Steel that I drew a number of references to previous work which formed the foundation for my reading. In his volume there is such a complete exposition of the then current thought on the subject of slags and on their role in the elimination of phosphorus from steel that I feel no hesitation in discussing in this Howe Lecture the subject of "Slag Control." In the present era of close specification, the drive for uniformity of product, and the close inspection of the product and of the cost sheet, the utmost efforts must be made to control the steelmaking variables to the best advantage of the steel producer. One of the major variables is the slag in the furnace and its effect upon the composition and quality of the metal. What advantages are to be gained from slag control? In the broad sense the advantages must be tremendous, because the very foundations of good steel melting are based on "shaping up" the slag to a point where, with proper temperature, the heat is ready for the final additions. Every melter works toward these ends through his experience with innumerable heats of steel. The elimination of undesirable constituents such as phosphorus and sulphur is entirely a matter of slag composition and physical nature, a point well known for over half a century. The role played by the slag in assisting in proper heat transfer from roof and flame to the steel has been equally well known. In more recent years there has come the problem of oxygen control in the more accurate gauging of additions for making high-grade rimmed steel for the new strip mills, and in the deoxidizing additions for grain-size control and cleanliness of forging steels, both carbon and alloy. In this problem the oxidizing characteristics of the slag are of prime importance.

Jan 1, 1940

By C. H. Herty

Almost every metallurgist who has given the Howe Memorial Lecture has had a personal contact with the distinguished gentleman to whose honor this hour is devoted. Unfortunately for me, such personal contacts were not possible. However, in the preparation of a thesis on the open-hearth process, one of my earliest tasks was to make a survey of the literature, and it was from Professor Howe's Metallurgy of Iron and Steel that I drew a number of references to previous work which formed the foundation for my reading. In his volume there is such a complete exposition of the then current thought on the subject of slags and on their role in the elimination of phosphorus from steel that I feel no hesitation in discussing in this Howe Lecture the subject of "Slag Control." In the present era of close specification, the drive for uniformity of product, and the close inspection of the product and of the cost sheet, the utmost efforts must be made to control the steelmaking variables to the best advantage of the steel producer. One of the major variables is the slag in the furnace and its effect upon the composition and quality of the metal. What advantages are to be gained from slag control? In the broad sense the advantages must be tremendous, because the very foundations of good steel melting are based on "shaping up" the slag to a point where, with proper temperature, the heat is ready for the final additions. Every melter works toward these ends through his experience with innumerable heats of steel. The elimination of undesirable constituents such as phosphorus and sulphur is entirely a matter of slag composition and physical nature, a point well known for over half a century. The role played by the slag in assisting in proper heat transfer from roof and flame to the steel has been equally well known. In more recent years there has come the problem of oxygen control in the more accurate gauging of additions for making high-grade rimmed steel for the new strip mills, and in the deoxidizing additions for grain-size control and cleanliness of forging steels, both carbon and alloy. In this problem the oxidizing characteristics of the slag are of prime importance.

Jan 1, 1940

By Louis V. Bender

AfteR investigating the work of coal-dust fired reverberatories of the Canadian Copper Co., at Copper Cliff, Ontario, the management of the Washoe Reduction Works decided to experiment with and ascertain the advantages of using coal dust as a fuel in their reverberatories. Consequently, during the month of June, 1914, reverberatory furnace No. 8 was changed in order to use powdered coal as a fuel. The results obtained by this method of firing are gratifying and show a decided saving in cost of smelting as compared to grate firing with lump coal. The furnace, as remodeled, is 124 ft. long by 21 ft. wide, and varies in height from 8 ft. 6 in. at the back end to 5 ft. 7 in. at the skimming end. The general construction of the furnace is similar to that of the other furnaces at this plant. There are no side doors to this furnace, as it was thought that with the present arrangement for feeding no "fettling" or "claying" would be required. The interior of the furnace can be inspected through the burner port holes, after shutting off the burners and giving a few seconds' time for the gases inside the furnace to clear away. The charging is done on either side of the furnace from longitudinal hoppers, extending a distance of 74 ft. from the back end of the furnace. Leading from the hoppers into the furnace are 6-in. pipes, spaced 191/4 in. apart, through which the charge is intermittently dropped. The charge is kept well above the slag line at all times; in this way the side walls are protected and no fettling is needed on this portion of the furnace. The remainder of the furnace requires fettling. After operating for three months, we found that the bricks were eaten into along each side wall from the skimming door back to the point where the charge had been dropped. The depth of this cutting away was 8 in. close to the front end and gradually tapered to zero at a distance of 50 ft., and was greatest on the side of the furnace having the larger flue connection. Hoppers will be put in for the entire length of furnace, from which fettling material will be dropped, to prevent this cutting. After the run of three months, the roof was in excellent condition. At the back of the furnace the bricks were not cut into at all; at 30 ft.

Jan 1, 1915

By Oberlin Smith

It may surprise the learned metallurgists who read this paper to learn that, by a recent discovery, nails of good quality can be made at one operation, directly from the ore, at the rate of, say, sixty per minute for each operator. It should be stated, however, that the raw material referred to does not answer strictly the ordinary assayer's definition of' an ore. It is found, in strata of various thickness, in Harlem, N. Y., and other localities where the débris from restaurants and from sheet-metal factories of various kinds has been dumped. In other words, it is old and new tin-scrap—one of the few substances which this generation, mainly occupied in exhausting the accumulated resources of the past, seems to have laid up, by way of atonement, for the benefit of posterity. In speaking of this material as ore, we are simply looking forward, prophetically, to the time when our descendants may dig it. up and write learned papers for the American Institute of Mining Engineers upon the best methods of assaying and smelting it. At least such has seemed to be its destiny hitherto. It may fairly be said that the many attempts which have been made to utilize it by separating, through chemical or electrolytical processes, its two valuable constituents, metallic tin and first-class wroughtiron, have failed, either technicaljy or commercially. The reasons fur such failure need not here be discussed: Either the separation has been incomplete, the iron still retaining enough tin to spoil it for the sinking-fire, or other use short of re-melting (perhaps even for that), or the manipulations of the process have been too expensive to make its results profitable—or both. Meanwhile the great tin-scrap deposits have gone on growing faster than any other strata of our Post-Tertiary, Psychical Era; given up by metallurgists, not yet attacked by geologists, and explored only by that mining engineer of the transitional period, Gulielmus Caper. Before leaving these heaps of tin-scrap, however, to become mere mineral deposits for future ages, it may be well to consider a novel plan for their immediate utilization—novel, not only in its means, but in its principle. For it undertakes to use this material just as it is, without trying to separate its constituents at all, and to use it,

Jan 1, 1889

By H. H. Keller, E. J. Couch

Damage to production wells subjected to the high temperatures associated with in-situ combustion projects has been a problem since the advent of this thermal recovery technique. Injection of water down the annulus of hot wells has been successfully utilized for cooling and prolonging the life of such wells. A mathematical model that is suitable for predicting the effectiveness of cooling water in a particular application is developed. Typical results for practical ranges of the various parameters involved are presented. INTRODUCTION In the normal course of in-situ combustion operations, highly damaging conditions develop in the production wells as the combustion zone approaches, and these wells are subjected to high temperatures (up to 1500F). The resulting well damage is recognized as one of the more serious operating problems unique to the in-situ combustion process. Even in operations where well completions have been specifically designed to cope with this problem, the question arises as to how this destructively high temperature can be kept within tolerable limits. A simple and economical approach to this problem is to circulate cooling water down-hole. This method has been used with some success in shallow reservoirs. At greater depths, however, the heat exchange with the overburden surrounding the well and between the fluids in the tubing and the annulus tends to equalize the temperatures of the two fluid streams so that the cooling capacity delivered to the bottom of the hole decreases with well depth. This method would provide no appreciable control over the bottom-hole temperature at great depths. In order to delimit the condition under which cooling by water circulation is effective, the wellbore temperature must be related to the water inlet rate and temperature; to the reservoir depth, production rate, and initial temperature; and to the combustion at at bot tom-hole depth. A model that meets these requirements and that will offer an approach for developing engineering solutions to practical design and operating problems is described in this paper. MATHEMATICAL MODEL Previous studies of temperature distributions include those for flowing wells1p2 and those for hot fluid injection. Adams and Haddenhorst 6 presented solutions for the down-hole circulation of hot oil in the treatment of paraffin-deposition problems. In this paper the thermal model presented by Ramey 4 is adapted to the flow system shown schematically in Fig. 1. Water at temperature Ti is injected at a rate wi and flows down the annulus outside the tubing. It mixes at bottom-hole depth D with the fluids produced at race w from the hot reservoir at temperature T. This mlxtureJ. of injected water and reservoir fluids flows up the tubing and is produced at the surface at TI,. In order to describe the temperature response in this system, we make use of the usual conservation of

Jan 1, 1969

By G. H. Alani, H. T. Kennedy

One of the major difficulties in predicting the performance of oil reservoirs from their early pressure history lies in the uncertainty of estimating the volume of the liquid hydrocarbons contained in them. As a first step in filling this need, an equation was developed to determine the Inolal liquid volume of pure hydrocarbons over a wide range of temperature and pressure. The second step consisted of adapting the equation to apply to mixtures, with the heary hydrocarbons expressed as c The equatious are similar in form to van der Waals equation. hut the constants a and b tire considered as furnctions of temperature. In addition to the gas constant R, there are four constants characteristic of each hydro- When comptired with experimental values jound in the literal the. the average absolute deviation in the calculated molal volumes is found to be a Maximum of 0.33 per -cem for any of the pure liquid hydrocarbons studied. This maximum deviation was that found when comparing the calculated and observed values over a temperature range of 86° to 482°F and a pressure range from the bubbl-point ro 10,000 psis. The equations expressing the correlation for. mixrurrc were developed from 647 experimental measure-rilents of volume on 47 bouom-hole samples covering ; temperature range of 72" to 250°F and a pressure znge from bubble-point ro 5,000 psig. The average absotute deviation was found to he 1.6 per cent with the maximum for any measurement of 4.9 per cent. INTRODUCTION Accuratc information of the pressure-volume-temper-iiture behavior of hydrocarbon liquids is of considerable importance in the field of both applied and theoretical science and, especially, in the solution of petroleum reservoir engineering problems. These PVT relationships can be expressed graphically, in tabular form or as equations of state. Equations of state for gases have been developed based on the ratio of pressure, temperature and volume to the pressure, temperature and volume at the critical points of the hydrocarbons. These equations have been successful in yielding values fairly accurate for reservoir engineering purposes. For liquids, however, relations of this type are more complex and have not yielded useful results. The composition of reservoir liquids is normally expressed in terms of the moles of hydrocarbons C,? C,. C,. elc, per mole of mixture. The composition must include the fraction of a mixture such as C,,, which cannot be separated with reasonable time and effort into specific hydrocarbons. Although there are several equations of state having variable degrees of accuracy applicable to pure liquid hydrocarbons, none includes a means for estimating the volume of mixtures as a function of temperature. pressure and composition expressed in this manner.

By T. H. Alden, H. W. Schadler

The strain rate dependence of the flow stress of the eutectoid Zn-Al alloy has been determined as a function of mechanical processing, microstructure, and temperature. The best superplastic properties result from the ultrafine, equiaxed structure produced by solution treatment and isothermal transformation at 0°C. Lamellar structures produced by isothermal transformation and coarse equiaxed structures produced by annealing also exhibit strain rate sensitivity in excess of 0.5, but at higher stresses and lower strain rates than the finest structure. Solution treatment and isothermal transformation eliminate the effect of prior processing history. Small composition variations in the binary alloy do not influence the mechanical properties. Below the eutectoid transformation temperature (.275C) increasing temperature lowers the flow stress at all strain rates. The data do not favor any of the present proposals for the mechanism of superplastic flow. ALLOYS of zinc and aluminum, near the eutectoid composition, have been investigated for: 1) the flow stress-strain rate and elongation behavior,1, 2) the transformation kinetics,3 and 3) structure,3"5 but the structure sensitivity of the mechanical properties is poorly understood. Using a near eutectoid alloy water-quenched from 380°C, Backofen et aL2 estab- high and increases with increasing strain rate. They found a correlation between strain rate sensitivity and tensile elongation as expected from the increased resistance to necking that a high strain rate sensitivity provides.296 The large elongation at high strain rates is attractive for metal forming. Since most other superplastic alloys7-l3 do not show high strain rate sensitivity at such a high strain rate (for the exception see Ref. 12) there is the possibility of a unique deformation mechanism for this alloy. The sensitivity of the mechanical properties of the eutectoid alloy to thermal history1 suggests a structure sensitivity that has not been demonstrated. Gar-wood and Hopkins3 identified a lamellar product for material transformed between 200" and 260°C. The size of the lamellae decreased with decreasing temperature. They also demonstrated that an unresolved transformation product formed below 200°C. A granular two-phase material was resolved for specimens quenched to below 150°C by Mitbauer and sauerwald4 who observed coarsening of the structure after annealing. The role of grain boundaries in superplastic deformation is suggested by the strong effect of grain refinement in encouraging this phenomenon at high strain rateS7-11, 13 and is emphasized in several proposals about rnechanism7, 8, 12 and in a theory14 of high-temperature deformation. Alden8 showed metallographic evidence that grain boundary sliding is occurring extensively at strain rates where m is large but less at high strain rates where normal plasticity is observed. Holt and Backofen10 have shown that sliding also oc-

Jan 1, 1969

By E. F. Ketterer, D. B. Collyer, A. B. Wilder

AISI constructional alloy steels are a series of steels in which a numbering system signifies the chemical composition limits. SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) and AISI (American Iron and Steel Institute) use basically the same numbering system. The steels contain, in part, alloy additions of chromium, molybdenum, nickel, and vanadium. They are used widely in the automotive industry but have not been adopted for high temperature service. The purpose of this investigation was to study changes in microstructure observed in typical AISI constructional alloy steels in the welded and un-welded conditions after exposure for 34,000 hr at 900" and 1050" and, in several instances, 1200°F. The tensile and creep rupture properties after exposure for 10,000 hr were also evaluated. The investigation is a continuation of the work previously discussed. Little was known concerning the existence of graphite in medium or low carbon steels before 1943. It is important to note that continued exposure at elevated temperature is required in order to develop graphite in steels. Interest in the presence of graphite in steel, and also in changes in the properties of steels after long service at elevated temperatures, developed after 1943 when a failure of a welded joint of high temperature piping was associated with the graphitization of a relatively low carbon content steel with 0.50 pct Mo,8,0 Numerous investigations have beeen made in recent years studying the relationship of this type of failure to changes in properties. Attempts have been made to evaluate the performance of a number of steels, particularly in the heat-affected zone of welds. It was the unfortunate failure of a weld-heated zone in high temperature piping in the steam-power industry which focused attention upon possible failures, and upon the need for improved steels for high temperature piping service. Investigation by the National Tube Div., U. S. Steel Corp., Lorain Works, has included a wide variety of steels in an attempt to learn the effects of numerous factors and elements upon the long time performance of steels, although many of the compositions studied will never be used at elevated temperatures.1,4-7 Included were the well established AISI steel series, which offered opportunity to test moderately high carbon content steels as well as observe the effect of nickel, chromium, molybdenum, etc., upon the properties of these well known steels. The properties of the AISI steels were also studied for comparison with the previously reported properties of the Cr-Mo steels, now used by the steam-power industry.5,7 Materials and Testing Procedure The AISI alloy steels in Table I were exposed for 10,000 and 34,000 hr at 900°, 1050°, and 1200°F.

Jan 1, 1958

By C. V. Millikan

Temperature measurement in wells is an old practice and geothermal gradients have been of interest to geologists for many years.le2 Their application to the operation of oil wells is a more recent practice. It has long been recognized that temperature anomalies occur in drilling and producing wells but thermometers that could obtain a satisfactory record of the anomalies were not available. The normal geothermal gradient is con-sidered as being about one degree Fahren-heit for each 60 ft. of depth.4 This "nor-mal " gradient varies in different areas, but whatever it may be in an area there is little variation from the surface to as deep as the : drill penetrates. The normal gradient is appreciably changed by gas expanding ; from the reservoir into the borehole or by the movement of fluid through a borehole : while drilling, producing, or circulating. It is the resulting anomalies and abnormal gradients from which conditions in wells can be interpreted. Some of the applications of such interpretations are locating the position of oil or gas sands, permeable strata in a reservoir zone, gas-oil contact, source of water, casing leaks, and the top of cement behind casing. Thermometers A thermometer for use in wells must be sensitive and have a low thermal lag. The sensitivity should permit recording 0.2OF. or less for differential temperatures although the actual temperature need not be more accurate than 1°F. The thermal lag should be as low as rugged construction will permit in order to allow surveys to be made in a minimum of time. Of the several kinds of thermometers, these requirements are most easily obtained with the vapor-pressure, expansion, and electric-resistance types. Thermometers for use in wells may be self-contained—that is, the complete instrument is lowered into the well and a record made of the temperature—or the thermal element only may be lowered into the well and the temperature recorded at the surface. The vapor-pressure and expansion types are more adaptable for a self-contained instrument while the electric-resistance thermometer is more suitable for surface recording of temperatures. The self-contained instrument can be run against high pressure on a single wire line with only one operator required. The instrument and its hoisting equipment is easily portable and can be mounted on a small car. The disadvantages are a somewhat greater thermal lag and the necessity of completing a run before any temperature or temperature anomaly is known. A surface-recording thermometer has the advantage of being somewhat more sensitive and of having a lower thermal lag. The Operator can see what anomalies are encountered and can immediately change the running conditions of the instrument or the well conditions in order to obtain the most

Jan 1, 1941