Search Documents

By W. Hume-Rothery

IN recent interesting papers,1,2 Bardos et al. have described ternary Laves phases of the type A2(BsSi) and A4(B5Si3) where A = titanium vanadium, niobium, and so forth, and B = manganese, iron, cobalt, or nickel; other more complex formulae have also been established. In these phases, silicon plays the part of the smaller B atom of a Laves phase AB2, and the interatomic distances show that the effec- tive silicon radii lie between 1.16 and 1.21Å, and are thus very much smaller than the metallic radius of silicon for CN = 12. It does not seem to have been pointed out that these small atomic radii are almost the sape as the normal covalent radius of silicon (1.174Å). If, therefore, silicon acts as an acceptor of electrons as suggested by Bardos et al.,1 it appears to do so, not by the building up of a negatively charged silicon ion which would be large, but by the formation of what are very nearly or may be actually normal covalent bonds. Since a covalent bond contains two electrons, its formation would reduce the number of electrons available for bonding in other parts of the structure, and in this way the effect of silicon in stabilizing the o phase at high electron concentrations might be understood.

Jan 1, 1965

By R. W. Raymond

The important question of the metallurgical value of the coals of the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast is to be settled, of course, by practical experiment. Meanwhile, as I have had occasion to point out, the proximate analyses of these coals throws little light upon it, and is, indeed, likely to mislead the metallurgist, if he compares it with the results of similar analyses upon bituminous and semi-bituminous coals. With the view of showing how large a proportion of the material usually classed as(" volatile matters " consists of combined water, or oxygen and hydrogen presumably in chemical combination, I have collected a number of ultimate analyses from various sources, in the following tables. The numbered analyses in the first table are as follows: No. 1. Monte Diabolo coal—Analyst, H. S. Munroe, Col. School of Mines. 2. Weber Canon, Utah, " " " 3. Echo Canon, " " " " 4. Carbon Stat'n, Wyoming, " " " 5. " " " " " 6. Coos Bay, Oregon, " " " 7. Alaska, " " " 8. " " " " 9. Canon City, Colorado, " Dr. T. M. Drown, Philadelphia. 10. Baker Co., Oregon, " " " 11. Blockcoal,SandCr'k,Ind., " Prof. E. T. Cox. This table affords some suggestive comparisons, to facilitate which a remark or two, explanatory of its construction, will be useful. In the ultimate analysis of coals, the proportions are frequently calculated (as, for instance, in the report for 1872 of Prof. Cox, State

By W. C. Winegard, C. J. Beinjessner

PREVIOUS investigations 1,2 of Fe3P described by pearson3 and schubert4 show that Fe3P has a bct unit cell having four Fe3P tetrahedra centered around each lattice point. The space group is 14, No. 82, and all atoms occupy general positions 8(g). The cell dimensions3 are: a = 9.090, c = 4.446 kX, with an axial ratio of c/o = 0.4891. We have measured the lattice parameters of Fe3P, using a Fe as an internal temperature standard, at 23°, 414°, and 678°C and computed the thermal expansion over this temperature range. The Fe,P was prepared by melting under vacuum (after flushing with argon) a commercially pure iron and "ferrophosphor" in a high-frequency induction furnace. Part of the ingot was crushed for X-ray examination and for chemical analysis. X-ray diffraction and light microscopy indicated iron phosphide (Fe3P) present as the major constituent and a small amount (about 5 pct) of a Fe. Chemical analysis showed 0.05 wt pct Si, 0.008 wt pct N, 0.018 wt pet C, and less than 0.02 wt pct each of other metallic elements. X-ray diffraction powder patterns were obtained from a mixture of iron and Fe3P sealed in an evacuated quartz capsule using a Unicam high-temperature

Jan 1, 1968

By A. E. Jenkins, L. A. Baker, N. A. Warner

Rates oj decarburization of levilated Fe-C droplets conlaining 5.5 to 0 pct C have been measured at 1660°C. Gas mixtures of 1, 10, and 100 pct 0, with helium diluenl were used at velocities of 12.5 and 62.5 cm per sec. Rates were independent of carbon concentration in the mell and in good agreement with the calculated rule of oxygen diffusion through the gas boundary layer. The effects of flow rale and total pressure are as predicled and the rates are approxitnalely 2.5 times those with CO2 as oxidant. The mass-transfer correlation used incorporaled the efject of natural convection as well as forced conrection. Graphile spheres are shown to oxidize at the same rate as Fe-C droplets under the same experimental codlions. It is concluded that, for high carbon concentrations in the melt, the rate of- decarburizalion is controlled wholly by the rate of gaseous diffusion. Rate measurements with pure CO, are reported for low carbon concentrations where CO bubbles nucleate within the droplet. Under these circumstances the decarburi-zation decreased with carbon concentration and it is proposed that carbon diffusion is significant in conlrolling the decnvburization rate. In an earlier paper1 decarburization rate measurements were reported for levitated Fe-C alloys at 1660°C but with CO2 as the oxidant. The decarburization rate was found to be independent of carbon concentration in the melt but slightly affected by total pressure. The authors were unable to explain the slight pressure effect but in all other respects the results were consistent with control by diffusion in the gas boundary layer. Subsequent work has been directed at finding the reason for the slight pressure effect and whether the kinetics with oxygen as oxidant parallel those with CO2. Recently Ito and Sano2 have shown that with water vapor-argon atmospheres the decarburization rate is gaseous diffusion controlled until an oxide film appears on the surface. In this work the melts were contained in crucibles. MASS TRANSFER IN THE GAS PHASE In the earlier analysis1 only forced-convection mass transfer was considered. Subsequent recognition of the existence of some free-convection mass transfer explained the observed small effect of total pressure on the decarburization rate. Steinberger and Treybal3 and Kinard, Manning, and Manning4 have developed correlations involving the linear addition of the contribution of radial diffusion, free and forced convection. Steinberger and Treybal&apos;s correlation was chosen as the most applicable to the present work since it correlated most of the data available in the literature and handled the low Reynolds number region exceptionally well. The correlation for (Gr&apos;Sc) < 108 is where Nu&apos; is the Nusselt number for mass transfer based upon the total surface of a sphere in an infinite medium, G&apos; is the mean Grashof number for mass transfer defined by Eq. [2], Sc is the Schmidt number (µ/pDAB)f, Re is the sphere Reynolds number (dpu,pf/µf), p is the viscosity of the gas (poise), p is the density of the gas (g cm-3), Dab is the binary diffusivity for the system A-B (sq cm sec-&apos;), dp is the sphere diameter (cm), u is the approach velocity of the gas (cm sec-I), and subscript f denotes the property value is computed at the film temperature Tf defined by Tf = +1/2(To + Tr) where To is the specimen temperature and T, is the approach gas temperature (oK). Natural convection occurs when inhomogeneities exist in gas density. These may be caused by concentration gradients, temperature gradients, or both. In the present work the temperature gradient between the sphere and the bulk gas was very large and in some cases, for example the runs with pure oxygen, the concentration gradient was also appreciable. The Grashof number defined by Mathers, Madden, and piret5 was used since it took account of both temperature and concentration gradients: where Gr&apos; is the Grashof number for mass transfer (p2fgd3|-yA-yA|/µ2f), Gr is the Grashof number for heat transfer (p2f gd3p|To - T,]/µ2fTf), Pr is the Prandtl number (cpµ/k)f, g is the acceleration due to gravity (cm sec-&apos;f, a is the concentration densification coefficient (1/p)(ap/ayA)T, yA is the mole fraction of component A at the gas-metal interface, yA is the mole fraction of component A in the bulk gas stream, cp is the heat capacity of the gas per unit mass at constant pressure (cal g-I OK-&apos;), and k is the thermal conductivity of the gas (cal cm-&apos; sec-1 OK-1). Mathers et al. tested this combined Grashof number

Jan 1, 1968

By P. E. Baker

An improved method of logging formation density has been developed in which the formation is bombarded with a collimuted beam of gamma rays. By means of a scintillation detector and pulse height discriminator, the gamma-ray energy band is accepted and recorded which corresponds to deepest penetration into the formation. Laboratory tests on a field tool revealed no borehole diameter effect for smooth holes and no effect of formation chemistry, except insofar as chemistry affects density. In extensive field tests, the density log has exhibited satisfactory agree-ment with core measurements and has correlated accurately with other logs. INTRODUCTION This paper describes an improved method of logging formation density by means of back-scattered gamma rays to penetrate the formation together with energy discrimination to select only that energy (or frequency) range corresponding to deepest penetration into the forma- tion. This method of density logging was developed at the La Habra laboratory of California Research Corp.* Field instruments have been built and tested by McCullough Tool Co. and commercial service has begun in some areas. All of the data discussed here were obtained for the original field tool. The density log can be a valuable adjunct to existing logs because of its use in determining porosity quantitatively. It is useful also in connection with seismic and gravity surveys where formation density information is of interest. PHYSICAL PRINCIPLES The intensity, I, of a beam of gamma rays after traversing a distance, x, in an absorbing medium is given by I = loe -ax where I, is the intensity of the beam entering the medium and a the attenuation constant or macroscopic cross section of the medium for gamma-ray absorption. The macroscopic cross section depends on the number and types of atoms per unit volume and the gamma-ray energy. In brief, it is the sum of the atomic cross sections of all atoms per cubic centimeter. The density of the material is the sum of the masses of all atoms per cubic centimeter. Thus, the density and the macroscopic cross section for gam-ma-ray absorption vary in propor- tion to the number of atoms per cubic centimeter. The density of the material increases, of course, if the atomic masses increase without a change in the number of atoms per cubic centimeter. When the density increases in this latter way, the macroscopic cross section increases also, but disproportionately. This results from the fact that part of the gamma-ray absorption arises from the photoelectric effect and the pair-production effect**, which are proportional to the sixth and to the second power, respectively, of the atomic number of the absorber. The remainder of the absorption results from the Compton effect, and is directly proportional to the atomic number. The gamma rays that undergo Compton scattering are not immediately absorbed. Since these rays are scattered in all directions, a fraction will emerge from the face of the medium at which they entered. If a gamma-ray shield is placed between the source and detector, most gamma rays reaching the detector will be those scattered out of the medium. The intensity will depend on absorption and scattering in the medium, and so indicates the density of the medium. For gamma rays for which Compton scattering prevails, the intensity

Jan 1, 1958

By L. D. Godshall

The latest revised edition of Mr. C. A. stetefeldt&apos;s book on the Lixiviation of Silver-Ores, which appeared very recently, contains no mention of the volatilization of silver in chloridizing-roasting—an omission which is the more remarkable in view of the fact that in former editions of the work this important subject was noticed. Moreover, Mr. Stetefeldt has discussed it to some extent in his paper on " The Stetefeldt Furnace," * in which he criticised certain statements made by me before the Colorado Scientific Society in May, 1893, in a paper entitled " A Review of the Russell Process;" ? and Mr. Morse, in his paper on " The Lixiviation of Silver-Ores by the Russell Process at Aspen, Colorado," $ has given statistics showing the loss of silver by volatilization (including the dustloss, which Mr. Morse estimates at not more than 1 per cent.) on more than 30,000 tons of ore roasted, to have been 9.16 per cent. The matter must certainly be deemed important enough to warrant me in returning to it, and offering, with the aid of the figures made public since my first paper, a reply to the criticisms of Mr. Stetefeldt. The passages of my paper which he deemed to be " ques-

Jan 1, 1897

By Thomas T. Read

REVIEWING the events of the year in mineral industry education, a certain amount of either amusement or irritation, depending upon one&apos;s viewpoint, can be derived front the section dealing with mining engineering in Walter B. Pitkin&apos;s "New Careers for Youth" which appeared during the summer. On p. 102 Prof. Pitkin says "The mining engineer is disappearing .. . because . . . the profits of mining decline rapidly with the age of the mine." In his "Are Too Many Students Taking Mining Courses?" published in the May issue of this journal, W. B. Plank presents statistics showing that there was some decline in student enrollment in mining and metallurgical courses in 1932-3 and 1933-4, compared with 1930-31, but that the decline was proportionate to that in all lines of engineering study combined. Informal reports from Institute officials that have visited tinning schools during the fall indicate that nearly all schools showed an increase in enrollment for the current school year. Pre else statistics will be made available by Prof. Plank at the Annual Meeting. His study last year provided, for the first time, accurate and complete information on the enrollment in mining schools, as well as the number of various courses and the degree granted, and it will be interesting to have comparable figures for this year. Prof. Pitkin&apos;s views on the future opportunities for mining engineers were discussed at some length - on pages 439-4.40 of the November issue of MINING AND METALLURGY.

Jan 1, 1935

By Charles H. Fulton

ONE of the events of note in mineral industry education circles during the year was the summer school for engineering teachers, devoted to mining and metallurgical engineering, which was conducted by the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education in co¬operation with the University of Wisconsin. It was in charge of Prof. Harry P. Hammond, director of the summer school, and Prof. Richard S. McCaffery of the University of Wisconsin. It was attended by 63 people, and practically every educational institution offering mineral industry courses had representatives present. The session was successful and those in attendance spoke highly of the pro¬gram and results obtained. The Mineral Industry Education Division cooperated with the S.P.E.E. in this project. Prof. Hammond will discuss the purpose and results of this session at the February meeting.

Jan 1, 1934

By Eugene McAuliffe

The term "mechanical mining" carries an ambiguity which justifies a preliminary word of explanation. . All mining activity conducted in this day is more or less mechanical; that is to say, power expressed in the form of electricity, steam or compressed air is used in some portion of practically every mining activity of consequence. "Mechanical loading" is more nearly correct than "mechanical mining" in reference to present practice. The first substantial effort made in the direction of mechanical mining, subsequent to the application of steam for hoisting and underground pumping purposes, was that of substituting for hand labor undercutting and shearing by power-driven machines. The undercutting of coal by hand represented at one time the most arduous task confronting the miner. Occupying a kneeling position in the thicker beds, or lying on his side in the thinner coal, the task was tedious and exhausting. The first attempt to substitute crude air-driven, and later electrically driven, "punchers," as the percussion type of machine was called, met with much the same opposition on the part of the workers as was expressed by workers in the other industries when any innovation, whether labor-saving or otherwise, was introduced. We should not be too critical of this attitude of mind shown by the mine workers. The peculiarly isolated character of the work carried on in semidarkness by a class of men who to a large extent lived and held themselves aloof from the other branches of society led long ago to the development of a craft consciousness which they have found difficult to surrender. It was not until 1891 that a definite record of the results obtained by the use of undercutting machines of all types was made available, the quantity undercut in that year totaling 6,211,732 tons of bituminous coal from all American mines. The volume of bituminous coal undercut by machines in 1928 totaled 369,687,007 tons, or 73.8 per cent. of the nation&apos;s production. In the light of this experience, we can properly feel that the work of introducing the coal-loading machine as a substitute for hand shoveling is making substantial progress.

Jan 1, 1931

By C. M. Nickerson

IT is apparent that repressuring of the oil measures is becoming increasingly important to the oil industry, and is a matter that warrants the best efforts of the petroleum engineer charged with applying this method of operation to a producing property. Considerable attention has. been directed to repressuring in various California oil fields, such as Dominguez and Seal Beach, which have served to sell the more progressive operator on this idea and also to keep him sold. The projects that have received most attention are in comparatively young fields where the fluid levels are high, the wells, perhaps, still flowing, where the wet gas production is of considerable volume, and where there is vital need of immediate conservation of gas, which otherwise would be blown to the air. The new State of California Gas Law, which prohibits the waste of gas, has served to interest the oil industry in -means of conserving the gas that is now being blown to the air because of lack of markets. This vitally affects the operator in the older, well-depleted oil fields of the state, because in many cases he has a limited market for gas, on account of the flush production from the more active oil fields. While the waste of gas is relatively small in these older fields, such as the Midway-Sunset area, it now attains considerable importance, since under the new State Gas Law it must be put to some beneficial use. Repressuring in the older fields of California has not received the attention of the petroleum engineers that is warranted by the present situation. This paper was prepared with the view of presenting the salient features connected with repressuring in the well-depleted oil measures of the older fields, and to show what results have already been obtained in these fields by injecting the unmarketable. gas into the sands, particularly in the Midway-Sunset field in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Other projects in the older fields of the state offer some supporting data in this connection, such as the Shields Canyon and the Brea Canyon fields.

Jan 1, 1929

By Charles T. Holland, David A. Olsen

Considerable work has resulted in the development of a formula by which the strength of coal pillars for an L to T ratio of up to 12 may be estimated. One of the factors involved in this formula is the coefficient of friction between the coal pillar and the adjacent rock with which it is in contact. This paper presents the results of studies on sandstone, limestone, shale and coal and the coefficient of friction between coal and the other three under wet and dry conditions. With the coefficients of friction thus determined and the use of results obtained earlier by Meikle and Holland, it seems probable that coal pillar strength may be more closely estimated. Several investigators1-3 have found that the com-pressive strength of cubical coal specimens can be correlated by an equation such as

Jan 1, 1969

By R. A. Meussner, C. T. Fujii

Chromium solution in wustite depresses the oxygen activity in a nonideal manner and expands the lattice slightly. Gravimetric measurements of the equilibrium compositions of wustite containing 0.00 to 1.38 wt pct Cr define the oxygen potential (CO2-CO atm) and the limits of the phase field at 1000°C. These data extrapolate to a maximum solubility of 2 wt pct Cr. The lattice parameter data, room-temperature measurements of quenched samples, differ significantly from those in the literature. Both pure and chromium wus-tites contract at uniform and equal rates as the oxygen content (metal deficit) increases. The a. US metal deficit relationships are straight lines showing none of the curvature previously reported. At constant metal deficit, the a. expands by 0.002? on alloying with 0.4 to 0.5 wt pct Cr but is insensitive to further chromium additions: a small expansion rather than a marked contraction. These results require a modification of the accepted alloying mechanism. IN the high-temperature oxidation of Fe-Cr alloys in Ha-H,and CO2-CO atmospheres the vapor transfer of oxygen from the continuous wustite outer scale to the porous inner scale/alloy interface sustains the high oxidation rates.1"3 The driving force for this transport is the difference in the oxygen activity of the outer wustite and that at the inner scale/alloy interface. In pure CO2, as well as in CO2-CO atmospheres, carburization of the alloy accompanies this oxidation. Current efforts to evaluate the parameters controlling this carburization have shown that the process is not simple; i.e., the carbon concentration in the alloy initially increases rapidly, reaches a maximum, and then decreases slowly as the oxidation time is extended. This is the same pattern reported by McCoy for the more complex oxidation-carburization of stainless steels and an Fe-Cr alloy in CO2 at lower temperatures.4 These changes in the carburization process occur while the overall oxidation rate and the lattice parameters of the scale layers remain constant. If this invariance of the lattice parameter is assumed to indicate a constant scale composition and thus a constant oxygen potential, the carburization results are not easily explained. Electron microprobe traces across the thickness of these outer scales, however, have revealed distinct chromium gradients penetrating 10 to 50 µ from the inner surface where the chromium concentrations were estimated at a few tenths percent. The variation of the chromium cmcentration on the inner surface of the scale, and the resulting change of the oxygen activity, during the oxidation process is considered to be important in defining the carburization process. Thus, to gain an understanding of the complex oxidation-carburization proc- ess, it was necessary to measure the properties of wustite containing known amounts of chromium (chromium wustite). Although the general features of the Fe-Cr-0 equilibrium diagram between 900° and 1300°C have been fairly well established by Richards and white: Wood-house and White,6 Seybolt,7 and Katsura and Muan,8 there have been no detailed studies of the limits of the chromium wustite phase field or the properties of these alloyed wustites. The recent results of a limited study of chromium wustite by Levin and wagner9 indicate that more than 0.67 wt pct Cr is soluble in wustite above 850°C and that this alloying is accompanied by a substantial lattice contraction. This change in the lattice parameter was not evident in the X-ray diffraction patterns of wustite layers from the oxidation experiments;1,3 the lines were sharp even though a chromium gradient existed in the scale. The present paper describes gravimetric equilibrium experiments which delineate the boundaries of the chromium wustite single-phase field at 1000°C and define the changes in the oxygen activity and the lattice parameter of wustite as functions of chromium and oxygen contents. The lattice parameter data of chromium wustite obtained from these equilibrium and special quenching experiments differ considerably from those reported.9 Those for pure wustite show significant differences from the widely accepted data of Jette and Foote.10 Since the causes of these differences are not easily assignable, and since the literature contains many sets of data on wustite which if not in conflict are at best not in harmony, the experimental procedures are discussed in the present paper. EXPERIMENTAL Oxide Preparation. The specimens used in these studies were porous pellets compacted from high-purity (Fe,Cr)2O3 or Fe2O3 powders. These powders were prepared from electrolytic chromium (99.8 pct purity) and electrolytic iron purified by consumable-electrode, vacuum arc-melting processing (299.9 pct purity).11 The oxides were produced by standard analytical procedures: solution of the metals in acids (HC1, then HNO3 added), coprecipitation of the hydroxides (NHaOH), and filtering and washing these precipitates. Initial dehydration of the coprecipitated hydroxides was done in a porcelain evaporating dish heated by a Meker-type burner, final dehydration by firing in a recrystallized alumina crucible at 1000" to 1050°C for 20 hr in an electrically heated furnace. Spectrographic analysis detected the following impurities: silicon, 0.01 pct or less; aluminum, 0.001 pct to trace; manganese and copper, 0.0001 pct to none. Each of these levels is at least one order of magnitude lower than in commercially available CP grade ferric and chromic oxides. Fluorescence analy-

Jan 1, 1969

By J. R. Linney

Demand for eastern magnetite in 1948 necessitated practically all eastern magnetite industries to operate on a six-day week, with the result that over 11,000,000 long tons of crude ore were mined, and the shipping products amounted to approximately 5,000,. 000 long tons. Reports indicate that operating on a six-day week and doing maintenance work on the seventh day was satisfactory and resulted in excellent continuity of operation. In the Port Henry district, Republic Steel Corp. once again set new all-time records for the production of crude ore and total shipping product; 1,868,000 long tons of crude ore were mined, 945,000 from the Old Bed mine, 408,500 from the Harmony mine, and 514,500 from the Fisher Hill mine. Of the 969,000 long tons of shipping products, 663,800 long tons were sinter, 181,000 lump ore, and 115,200 con¬centrates.

Jan 1, 1949

To the American Institute of Mining Engineers: The committee appointed at the February meeting upon Railway Resistances would respectfully report: That one person has been constantly employed in calculating the results of the data taken prior to March 1st, 1876. Also to complete the data taken upon the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, a diagram was taken upon a through freight train from Cleveland to Chicago, and one from Chicago to Cleveland. So that now we have diagrams from Buffalo to Chicago and return, which, when fully worked up, will give results of the utmost importance in determining the cost of transportation of freight. These data will be of much importance in determining the proper methods of equating grades and curves, which is so essential in the location of new lines. The calculations show that instead of our attempting to formulate results from data obtained on one road, it will be best for the in¬terests of transportation to enlarge the scope of our inquiries, and to extend the experiments so as to include all of the more probable causes which affect the cost of transportation. Were the details of railway equipment constructed alike, much work, which is now necessary, would be saved. It is not uncommon to find upon the same road 10 to 30 different patterns of something in construction to subserve the same purpose, which more or less modifies the friction of the cars. Take the majority of our trunk lines, with this diversity of construction, together with the varying conditions of track and manner of operating, and it will be at once seen that the labor and time to do the work and arrive at correct conclusions will occupy from two to three years. The results already attained in the short time in which they have been carried on, wholly by private enterprise, simply show what may be expected when the aid necessary is given to render them of the highest value to the great industries of the country. That the information may be general and of the greatest importance to our railway interests, the committee deem it advisable to secure, so * The following report, made at the June meeting of the Institute, is inserted in this place as appropriately supplementing the original communication of Mr. Dudley.

Jan 1, 1876

By R. V. Lundquist

R. T. Hukki (Finland Institute of Technology, Helsinki, Finland)—Two schools of thought are developing concerning the order of the rate of flotation. The paper by Morris is intended to show experimental evidence in favor of the first order rate. Arbiter, on the other hand, has presented an earlier paper" to demonstrate the validity of the second order rate equation. Unfortunately his method of plotting is open to criticism, as pointed out by Morris." A more sensitive method of plotting has been described by the writer,= whereby the data presented by Arbiter demonstrate the superiority of the second order plot. The general rate equation may be written in the following forms for the integrated first and second order equations: (A) t =------In—-------- (first order) [4] 1 1 (B) — = — kc, + KC°²— (second order) [5] t R As a first approximation the value of C, may be taken as a unity, 100 pct or 1. Whether or not this is the case in all tests performed by Morris is impossible to judge, owing to the fact that the flotation times are extremely short, e.g. 150 sec in tests A. It would, indeed, be very interesting to know what the total recovery R would be after 1 hr of flotation, for example, instead of after 150 sec. Certainly there are circumstances when C, approaches unity within a very small

Jan 1, 1954

By Colin Rae

THE absence of paraffin and other oil hydrocarbons in the soil, although they are concentrated in extensive deposits in some localities, the common distribution of plant remains through many formations that .are not productive for oil, and many other factors, seem to indicate the existence of an intermediate organic compound between the complex plant compounds and the petroleum hydrocarbons; and much evidence points to the humus acids or associated organic compounds, which are probably collected by surface waters and concentrated in certain areas by means of precipitation by electrolytes, which would be contained in sea water or possibly in various inland seas or lakes. PRESENT-DAY EVIDENCE There are many present-day evidences of the association of petroleum with humus acids. Binney, in 1912, made observations without explanations on the peat mosses of Down Holland, England, where he found petroleum being formed by decomposition, in the presence of an infiltration of sea water. The analysis of a typical peat will show its relationship to the humus acids under consideration. SAMPLE &apos;No. 1, SAMPLE NO. 2, PER CENT. PER CENT. Water : 20.0 29.5 Ash 3.0 3.05 Fiber 47.0 54.95 Humus acids 30:0 12.50 J. D. Haseman and others have noted the association of asphalt and hydrocarbons with the swampy, boggy areas, particularly adjacent to the sea.

Jan 2, 1922

By James F. Kemp

In earlier gears, the custom prevailed of regarding the anthracite basins as cases of folding with slight development of faulting. Folding is so pronounced and, in the eastern and western Middle Fields, at times so violent, that the inference was a natural one and led to the widespread impression that practically all the disturbances of the seams could be explained in this way. The cross-sections and maps prepared forty or more years ago for the Second Geological Survey of P ennsylvania, by Mr. Ashburner under Prof. J. P. Lesley, exhibit little else than folds.&apos; So far as I can discover faults fail in the charts, except in one small case in the Henry colliery near Plainsville on the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre. Some years ago, while spending a day or two in Wilkes-Barr, under the guidance of R. V. Norris, I looked over some recent and accurate cross-sections of a numbcr of the large collieries and was deeply impressed with the peculiar behavior of some of the seams and the intervening shales. Thus, a seam might present a small, more or less overturned fold, rising 30 to 50 ft. (9 to 15m.) above its general course, and yet the movement would be taken up in the overlying shales, so as hardly to be noticeable in the seams next above or below. These and similar anomalies, especially when shown with the accuracy of engineer&apos;s surveys, possess great scientific and practical interest, bearing as they do, not alone on coal mining, but on theoretical geology and the actual behavior of strata under great compressive stresses. In preparation for the semicentennial meeting of the Institute, an effort was therefore made to secure some of the most interesting sections for presentation to the members. The collection of illustrations here shown is mainly due to Douglas Bunting of the local committee, to whom and to the contributing companies acknowledgments are due. The illustrations are taken from all four of the main basins, but are chiefly from the portions nearest Wilkes-Barre. The first are in the

Jan 1, 1922

By A. J. Boyer, T. R. Meadowcroft

An experimental determination has been made of the efject of surface diffusion on the vapor pressure obtained in a Kwudsen cell. The results show that a knife-edge orifice in a molybdenum lid may give erroneous results for the vapor pressure of silver. when a correction suggested by winterbottom and Hirth is made, the results become meaningful. Experimental work with cylindrical orifices in molyhdenz~m lids and knife-edge orifices in ceramic lids shows that good vapor-pressure results may he obtained when the orifice is designed so that ejfusion is the only significant source of weight loss. THE Knudsen effusion cell technique has been used by many investigators to study relative and absolute vapor pressures over metals and alloys at elevated temperatures. As a result of this interest, some theoretical studies have been made of geometric factors affecting effusion from the orifice of a Knudsen cell. A review of these studies has been made by Margrave.1 Recently, Winterbottom and Hirth2 have suggested that a physical effect, that of condensation, surface diffusion, and re-evaporation, may seriously affect Knudsen cell measurements, especially when a knife-edge orifice is used. Inasmuch as many of the present vapor-pressure data have been obtained using knife-edge orifices. it was felt that an experimental evaluation of the effect of surface diffusion on Knudsen cell measurements would be of value both in the design of the cell orifice and in establishing realistic estimates of the limits of error for existing data. The experimental program was in two sections. Firstly, measurements of the vapor pressure of silver were made in cells with cylindrical and conical orifices in which the surface-diffusion contribution to the weight loss should be negligible. These results were correlated with existing data to give a reliable measure of the real vapor pressure of silver. Secondly, measurements made using knife-edge orifices were corrected using the surface-diffusion theory of Winterbottom and Hirth2 and were then compared to the real values. The experimental arrangement is shown in Fig. 1. The balance was an Ainsworth RV-AU-1 automatic recording microbalance capable of measuring weight changes of ±0.02 mg on a total load of up to 100 g. The temperature was measured by an optical pyrometer signted on the bottom of the suspended crucible. The temperature readings were calibrated in a separate experiment in which pyrometer measurements were made while at the same time thermocouple readings were taken of the temperature at the inside top and bottom of the crucible. The range of reproducibility with this technique was ±4°C. A constant voltage source maintained a temperature of ±2°C at 1200°C over 10 hr. Silver of 99.99 pct purity was used in nonporous alumina crucibles. Lids of molybdenum, tantalum, or magnesia were cemented to the crucible using a sodium silicate cement. Table I shows the characteristics of the lids used. The vapor pressure is obtained using the basic Knudsen formula:

Jan 1, 1965

By H. J. Ramey

Conventional calculation of total system isothermal compressibility for a system containing a free gas phase involves, among other things, evaluation of the change of oil and gas formation volume factors and the gas in solution with pressure. Preferably, this information should be obtained from laboratory measurements made with particular oils and gases. Often, experimental measurements are not available. In this case, it is necessary to obtain pressure-volume-temperature relationships from general correlations such as those of Standing&apos; for California oils. In order to speed estimates of compressibility, generalized plots have been prepared of the change of both oil formation volume factors and gas in solution, with pressure from Standing&apos;s correlations. A generalized plot for estimating the change in the two-phase (oil and gas) formation volume factor with pressure is also presented. Usually, the effect of gas dissolved in reservoir water upon the total system compressibility is neglected for gas saturated systems, due to the low solubility of gas in water. Results of this study indicate that the increase in total system compressibility caused by solution of gas in water is often as large as the compressibility of wafer, and can be magnitudes larger for low pressure systems. Generalized results for estimating the change of gas in solution in water with pressure are presented in tabular and graphical form. INTRODUCTION During the past decade, pressure build-up and drawdown techniques have gained an important place in reservoir engineering. Build-up and drawdown analyses are only two special applications of the broad field of transient fluid-flow theory. All solutions of transient fluid-flow problems contain a parameter called the total system isothermal compressibility. This property of fluids and porous rock is a measure of the change in volume of the fluid content of porous rock with a change in pressure, and it may vary considerably with pressure. Evaluation of total system isothermal compressibility is not difficult, but it is tedious and time-consuming. Often compressibilities are estimated roughly, or transient flow methods are neglected completely. The benefits of using accurate system compressibility in properly-executed build-up or drawdown analyses are: 1. Better planning of pressure build-ups may be achieved to avoid unnecessary loss of revenue due to excessively long shut-in periods, or to shut-in periods too short to yield useable data. 2. Better and more reliable estimates of static formation pressures for reserves estimates and rate performance estimates. 3. Reliable information for evaluation of well completion effectiveness, and planning and interpretation of well stimulation efforts. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the nature of the total system isothermal compressibility, and to present useful methods for estimation of compressibility, particularly for systems containing a gas phase. DEVELOPMENT Numerous publications have presented solutions to transient single-phase flow of slightly compressible fluids, stressing pressure build-up applications. In transient flow, a compressibility* term arises to permit volume content of fluids in porous rock to change as pressure changes. The basic nature of the compressibility term is usually taken for granted. Problems arise in practical applications of transient fluid theory because most published works consider only one flowing fluid—in an ideal porous system containing only one fluid. In 1956, Perrine2 presented an intuitive extension of single-phase flow pressure build-up methods to multiphase flow conditions. Later, Martin- established conditions under which Perrine&apos;s multiphase build-up method had a theoretical foundation. Perrine has shown that improper use of single-phase build-up analysis in certain multiphase flow situations can lead to gross errors in estimated static formation pressure, permeability and well condition. It is likely that, much pressure build-up data for oil wells should be analyzed on the basis of multiphase flow. For both single-phase and multiphase build-up analysis, the isothermal compressibility term in dimensionless time groups often should be interpreted as the total system compressibility. All real reservoirs contain one or more compressible fluid phases. In addition, rock compressibility can contribute in an important way to the total system compressibility. The proper total system compressibility expression may contain terms for compressibility of oil, gas, water, reservoir rock and terms for the change of solubility of gas in liquid phases.

Jan 1, 1965

By D. H. Gieskieng

THE advent of curved jaw crusher wearing plates made an approach other than segmental layout analysis desirable for prediction of capacities. For some time it had been known that the drawing board capacities of crushers using these plates had to be considerably modified by complicated experience factors to achieve agreement with results. Because these apparent capacities could be readily increased severalfold by minor crushing chamber shape changes, it was necessary that the utmost precaution be taken in predicting capacities of jaw plates modified for nonchoking, special wear characteristics, or any other reason. To this end the laboratory and field tests outlined by the author in a previous paper1 were made on Blake-type jaw crushers. The results of these tests were summarized in a simple first degree equation applicable to crushers using either straight or curved jaw plates. This equation first outlines the maximum capacity potential of a given crusher, then reduces this figure in accordance with installation circumstances by means of a realization factor. It was found subsequently that this equation, with the addition of an eccentric throw factor, is applicable to standard types of single-toggle or overhead eccentric jaw crushers as far as maximum capacity potential is concerned. However, these crushers have realization factor curves somewhat different from those outlined for the Blake type. While this paper is concerned principally with standard type single-toggle crusher capacities, the evaluation of data obtained with these machines is simplified by comparative reduction to the 10 x 7 in. Blake-type equivalents upon which the summary of the preceding paper was made. Convertibility of data from one type of crusher to the other also tends towards confirmation of both. The agreement of these data is sufficient to be considered complimentary. Consequently the feed factors, f, previously reported for Blake crushers are slightly adjusted to an average with the single-toggle crusher results. Blake-type equation: C = f.d.w.y.t.n.a.r [I] Single-toggle type equation: C = f.d.w.y.t.n.a.e.r [21 where C is the capacity in short tons per hour through the crusher, f is a feed factor, dependent upon the presence of fines in the feed, and the surface character of the jaw plates used. Values of f : Smooth Plates Corrugated Plates With normal fines 0.0000414 0.0000319 Fines scalped out 0.0000368 0.0000252 Large pieces only . 0.0000312 0.0000215 d is the apparent density of the broken product in pounds per cubic foot. (If the true specific gravity of the feed is known, 40 pct voids may be assumed and d becomes 37.4 times sp gr). w is the width of crushing chamber in inches. y is the openside setting of the crusher, in inches. In the case of corrugated jaw plates it is measured from the tip of one corrugation to the bottom of the valley opposite. t is the length of jaw stroke in inches at the bottom of the crushing chamber. It is the difference between open and close-side settings. n is rpm, or crushing cycles per minute, a is the nip-angle factor. It is unity for 26" and 3 pct greater for each less nip-angle degree. A nip-angle of 20" has an a value of 1.18, and an angle of 30" has an a value of 0.88, see Fig. 1. r is the realization factor. It is unity for perfectly uniform choke feeding and usually less for actual operating conditions according to the method of feeding used and the probabilities of hang-ups involving the size of feed and crusher opening. Approximate values are given by the curves in Fig. 2. These values are further reduced by intermittent feeding, e is the throw or diameter of gyration of the single-toggle crusher eccentric in inches. As evident in Fig. 1A, variation of feed size will generally have little effect on nip-angle if both jaw plates have flat areas. Jaw plates having continuous curvature, as in Fig. 1B will have different nip-angles, depending upon the size of feed. For test work as described in this paper this effect was accounted. For general compilation of capacities for average feeds it is suggested that the nip-angle be taken at the various settings computed, at an arbitrary level, such as is indicated in Fig. 1C. Data Evaluation To bring the Blake and single-toggle type crusher capacity test results to common terms for evaluation, all data are converted to terms of 10 x 7 in. Blake-type performance at conditions of 100 lb per cu ft, 10 in. chamber width, 250 rpm, 0.65 in. stroke, 3-in. openside setting, and 18° nip-angle. (The nip-angle of the 10x7 in. Blake is 18° at 3-in. setting.) The single-toggle crusher performances are also divided by the eccentric throw to bring this effect to unity. As outlined,&apos; laboratory and field tests made on Blake-type crushers ranging from 10 x 7 in. to 60 x 48 in. were summarized along the foregoing conditions of speed, stroke, etc. This resulted in groups of data which correspond to feeds with fines, feeds

Jan 1, 1952