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By I. N. Knapp

I Herewith present some notes on the use of Portland cement to cement in the casing, and for plugging, to exclude water from oil and gas wells, and the methods employed. I have used my best efforts to. make each step of the operation of cementing wells perfectly clear. The information is the result of actual experience and observation. The illustrations are from original drawings made especially for this paper. Portland Cement It is not necessary to discuss here the manufacture of cement. Any established brand of the slower setting Portland cements may be purchased with the confidence that it will harden, if properly used, and exclude water from and plug wells efficiently. Setting.—By the setting of cement is meant its initial change from a soft or plastic mortar to a friable solid. After the cement has become thoroughly set it is still very weak and can be readily pulverized in the fingers. Setting is thought to be effected by the crystallizing out of the silicate and the aluminate of lime, which are soluble in water in their anhydrous form. After dissolving in the water they pass to the hydrated state, in which they are insoluble, and hence are precipitated in a crystalline form. Ordinarily neat Portland cement mortar remains perfectly plastic for from 1 to 1 1/2 hr. after mixing with water at about 70" F. A higher temperature accelerates and a lower retards setting.. Hardening.—This is due to a continual crystallization of salts from solution, and to further chemical and physical changes which develop slowly, but which continue for long periods of time. Testing.—It is no more necessary for an operator to go into the scientific testing of cement to be used in a well than to so test the pipe used. He must depend for the quality of each on the tests and reliability of the manufacturer. Cement or pipe may be damaged in shipment so

Jan 1, 1915

By A. J. Weinig

The Liberty Bell cyanide precipitate is unique in that it is apt to vary widely in composition in the course of very short periods of time, and a method of refining and melting that would prove highly satisfactory at one cleanup would yield7almost a hopeless "mess" at a second. Table I gives a general conception of the wide range in grade and composition of those raw precipitates. It is evident that no one standard flux could be expected to produce a high-grade bullion with such a widely variable precipitate, and that any method of treatment with acid requires most careful consideration. Refining by Acids Naturally, our first efforts to improve our precipitates were directed along the lines of acid treatment. Table II embodies the results of careful sampling and analysis of one cleanup at the time when wet refining reached its maximum development at this mill. We have now discarded all methods of wet refining, successfully replacing them by a more scientific method of flux calculation described herein, but it is believed that a general description of this wet refining is warranted as it throws some interesting side lights on acid refining in general. Table I.—Range of Composition of Raw Precipitates Per Cent. Gold and silver.................................... 25.0 to 75 Zinc.............................................. 18.0to 30 Lead............................................. 0.5 to 52 Copper........................................... 0.5 to 20 Silica............................................ 1.0 to 5 Calcium oxide...................................... 4.0 to 8 Sulphur.......................................... 0.5 to 8 Column A gives the analysis of the raw precipitate; column B, that of the precipitate after heating with steam, with frequent addition of hydrochloric acid until a point was reached where the batch had a strong tend-

Jan 1, 1917

By Rex E. Cheek, Donald E. Menzie

The fluid mapper, a model relatively new to the petroleum industry, was used to study the effect of various mobility ratios on the areal sweepout efficiency for two typical spacing patterns. The experiments indicated the areal sweepout for the five-spot pattern varied from 51.8 per cent at a mobility ratio of 0.093 to 89.1 per cent for a ratio of 24.4. In the direct line-drive pattern, the areal sweepout varied from 58.7 per cent at a mobility ratio of 0.089 to 92.0 per cent at a ratio of 24.8. The fluid mapper may prove useful to determine quickly the effective areal sweepout for any well spacing. INTRODUCTION The effect of the mobility ratio on the areal sweepout efficiency during primary depletion of a water drive reservoir and during secondary recovery operations has recently become more widely recognized The mobility ratio, M, is defined as: _ kjp (displaced fluid) k/u (displacing fluid) where k = effective permeability u = viscosity When the displacing fluid is miscible with the displaced fluid, the permeabilities are equal and the mobility ratio may be expressed as a ratio of viscosities: u (displacing fluid) u (displaced fluid) The mathematical analysis for calculating the areal sweepout efficiency with mobility ratio other than unity is quite tedious.5,11 An experimental method by using a potentiometric model2 in a step-wise manner and in using an X-ray shadowgraph model3,12 with continuous fluid flow has been published. Several types of models have been used to study oil and gas reservoir performance. These models may be classified as physical, electrolytic, potentiometric, X-ray shadowgraph, and fluid mapper. The X-ray shadowgraph and fluid mapper are models relatively new to petroleum engineering and have not been used extensively for specific applications. The theory of the fluid mapper indicates it may be adapted to a study of areal sweepout efficiencies for various mobility ratios as well as other complex problems in petroleum engineering. The use of the model and results obtained when using displacing and displaced fluids of equal densities but different viscosities are discussed. FLUID MAPPER DEVELOPMENT H. S. Hele-ShawV eveloped a fluid mapper model based on the hydrodynamic theory. This theory is that in the steady flow of a viscous fluid between horizontal parallel plates spaced a very small distance apart, the effect of viscous shear is of such magnitude in the vertical plane that the motion in the horizontal plane is practically undisbrted streamline flow. Techniques developed by Hele-Shaw were not expanded and no additional developments in fluid mapper models were forthcoming until A. D. Moore, University of Michigan, published a series of papers starting in 1949, which describe the construction of a flexible and inexpensive model'h nd the fluid mapper technique for the solution of certain problems.' The essential components of the fluid mapper as developed by Moore are::.ln 1. A base slab. made of dental stone (calcium sulphate and water). which is shaped to represent the prototype. 2. Plate glass slightly larger than the slab and spaced

Jan 1, 1956

By H. A. Doerner, F. D. DeVaney, J.B. Clemmer

Production of magnesium metal in the United States during the past decade has increased from less than 600,000 lb. in 1928 to more than 4,800,000 lb. in 1938.1 The growing industry has stimulated interest in methods of production and in sources of raw material. All of the present domestic production is from brines. However, the availability of large tonnages of magnesite in the state of Washington, together with the possibility of cheap power, have created interest in the utilization of magnesite for the production of magnesium metal as well as for other purposes. Magnesite, the carbonate of magnesium (MgCO3), usually is associated with limestone (CaC03) and dolomite (MgCO3. CaC03). It occurs in crystalline and microcrystalline (sometimes termed amorphous) forms.2 The more common crystalline mineral is found in various shades of white, gray, yellow and brown, the colors being due to impurities, chiefly iron. Magnesite has a hardness of 3.5 to 4.5 and a specific gravity of 3.0 to 3.1. It forms rhombohedra1 crystals in the hexagonal system, having a vitreous, pearly luster. The quarries and mines of the Northwest Magnesite Co. near Chewelah, Wash., are large producers of magnesite for refractories. The deposits are extensive, some veins being hundreds of feet wide. The boundaries of the veins are indefinite, and the magnesite is interfingered with dolomite. Calcite, talc, serpentine, quartz and shale are disseminated through the deposits. The quality of the ore cannot be determined by appearance or by simple tests; chemical analysis is required. These features make it difficult to determine the boundaries or total quantity of workable ore.3 Only the higher-grade ores are mined, and a considerable proportion of the magnesite content is discarded by hand-sorting and log-washing methods. After calcining, the sorted product meets the specifications for usual refractory material, as it contains approximately 81 per cent MgO, 7 per cent SiO2, 6 per cent CaO and 6 per cent Fe203 + A1203. A sample of the reject material had the following analysis after calcining: 65.4 per cent MgO, 6.3 CaO, 21.1 SiO2 and 6.5 R2O3. The percentage reported as R2O3 includes compounds whose chlorides are acid-soluble but give precipitates in ammoniacal solution that are ignited and weighed. The more common constituents are Fe2O3, A1203 and TiO2. The sorted magnesite product is not the best grade. even for refractory purposes, and leaves much to be desired for a reduction process. The rejected material contains a large proportion of magnesite. It is apparent that an effective concentration method would yield a higher recovery and a better product. In general, the refractory grade is not suitably pure for other uses. Recent developments in the production of

Jan 1, 1943

By J. B. Clemmer, F. D. DeVaney, H. A. Doerner

Production of magnesium metal in the United States during the past decade has increased from less than 600,000 lb. in 1928 to more than 4,800,000 lb. in 1938.1 The growing industry has stimulated interest in methods of production and in sources of raw material. All of the present domestic production is from brines. However, the availability of large tonnages of magnesite in the state of Washington, together with the possibility of cheap power, have created interest in the utilization of magnesite for the production of magnesium metal as well as for other purposes. Magnesite, the carbonate of magnesium (MgCO3), usually is associated with limestone (CaC03) and dolomite (MgCO3. CaC03). It occurs in crystalline and microcrystalline (sometimes termed amorphous) forms.2 The more common crystalline mineral is found in various shades of white, gray, yellow and brown, the colors being due to impurities, chiefly iron. Magnesite has a hardness of 3.5 to 4.5 and a specific gravity of 3.0 to 3.1. It forms rhombohedra1 crystals in the hexagonal system, having a vitreous, pearly luster. The quarries and mines of the Northwest Magnesite Co. near Chewelah, Wash., are large producers of magnesite for refractories. The deposits are extensive, some veins being hundreds of feet wide. The boundaries of the veins are indefinite, and the magnesite is interfingered with dolomite. Calcite, talc, serpentine, quartz and shale are disseminated through the deposits. The quality of the ore cannot be determined by appearance or by simple tests; chemical analysis is required. These features make it difficult to determine the boundaries or total quantity of workable ore.3 Only the higher-grade ores are mined, and a considerable proportion of the magnesite content is discarded by hand-sorting and log-washing methods. After calcining, the sorted product meets the specifications for usual refractory material, as it contains approximately 81 per cent MgO, 7 per cent SiO2, 6 per cent CaO and 6 per cent Fe203 + A1203. A sample of the reject material had the following analysis after calcining: 65.4 per cent MgO, 6.3 CaO, 21.1 SiO2 and 6.5 R2O3. The percentage reported as R2O3 includes compounds whose chlorides are acid-soluble but give precipitates in ammoniacal solution that are ignited and weighed. The more common constituents are Fe2O3, A1203 and TiO2. The sorted magnesite product is not the best grade. even for refractory purposes, and leaves much to be desired for a reduction process. The rejected material contains a large proportion of magnesite. It is apparent that an effective concentration method would yield a higher recovery and a better product. In general, the refractory grade is not suitably pure for other uses. Recent developments in the production of

Jan 1, 1943

By M. T. Halbouty

The Laredo oil district, South Texas, includes an area of approximately 200 miles long north and south and 75 miles wide, embracing the following counties: Starr, Zapata, Jim Hogg, Webb, Duval and McMullen. The area is relatively old in respect to the production of oil, as the first oil was discovered and produced in the Piedra Pintas field in Duval County on Sept. 10, 1905. Since that date, continuous new discoveries have contributed to the development of this district until, at the present time, it is one of the important oil-producing and gas-producing areas in the world. The year 1937 also had its share of new discoveries in the district, including not only new oil fields but also new sands in already producing pools and important extensions to existing sands and fields. Among the most important field discoveries, by counties, are: Duval County..... Benavides, Sweden, Thomas-Lockhart, Labbe and Lundell fields Jim Hogg County.. Las Animas field McMullen County. Ezzell field Starr County...... El Tanque field Webb County..... Killam and Oilton fields Of these, Benavides, Oilton, Killam and Ezzell have so far proved themselves most important; the Benavides field, Duval County, showing by far the most activity. For the year 1937, therc were 283 wildcat tests drilled in this district, of which 35 were oil producers, 20 completed as gas wells and 228 abandoned as dry holes. Duval County, as usual, received the greatest amount of wildcat drilling, having 21 oil wells, 5 gas wells and 63 dry holes completed during the year for a total of 89 tests. Next came Webb County with 4 oil wells, 4 gas wells and 53 dry holes for a total of 61 tests.The Laredo oil district, South Texas, includes an area of approximately 200 miles long north and south and 75 miles wide, embracing the following counties: Starr, Zapata, Jim Hogg, Webb, Duval and McMullen. The area is relatively old in respect to the production of oil, as the first oil was discovered and produced in the Piedra Pintas field in Duval County on Sept. 10, 1905. Since that date, continuous new discoveries have contributed to the development of this district until, at the present time, it is one of the important oil-producing and gas-producing areas in the world. The year 1937 also had its share of new discoveries in the district, including not only new oil fields but also new sands in already producing pools and important extensions to existing sands and fields. Among the most important field discoveries, by counties, are: Duval County..... Benavides, Sweden, Thomas-Lockhart, Labbe and Lundell fields Jim Hogg County.. Las Animas field McMullen County. Ezzell field Starr County...... El Tanque field Webb County..... Killam and Oilton fields Of these, Benavides, Oilton, Killam and Ezzell have so far proved themselves most important; the Benavides field, Duval County, showing by far the most activity. For the year 1937, therc were 283 wildcat tests drilled in this district, of which 35 were oil producers, 20 completed as gas wells and 228 abandoned as dry holes. Duval County, as usual, received the greatest amount of wildcat drilling, having 21 oil wells, 5 gas wells and 63 dry holes completed during the year for a total of 89 tests. Next came Webb County with 4 oil wells, 4 gas wells and 53 dry holes for a total of 61 tests.

Jan 1, 1938

By Charles H. Jacoby

In 1774 a Swedish chemist, C. W. Schule, first recognized manganese as an element. That same year Schule's associate, J. G. Gahn, isolated the element manganese for the first time. In 1856 the Bessemer process of steelmaking gave birth to the economic importance of manganese. Later, in 1882, Robert Hadfield discovered high manganese steels. Although the primary use of manganese is in the ferroalloy industry, two additional important uses for manganese are making chemicals and dry cell batteries. Manganese is also vital to plant and animal life. Various chemical compounds of manganese are used in fertilizers, feeds, glass manufacture, paints, varnishes, and for numerous medicinal and chemical purposes. For the study of industrial minerals and rocks, only the chemical and battery grade material is of- concern, but for the sake of comparison, metallurgical aspects are included in this presentation. Although currently the world's largest consumer of manganese, the United States is producing only minor amounts of ore at the present time. This is due primarily to the fact that although huge deposits of manganese occur within our borders, all are of such low grade as to be economically unfeasible to mine. For many years various government agencies and segments of private industry have devoted sizable sums of money and time in an attempt to upgrade ores from the various deposits, and also in an attempt to recover manganese from blast furnace slags. In view of current world prices, and the quantity of high grade material available, there is little likelihood that any of these approaches will be found to be economically feasible in the near future. Geology and Mineralogy Mineralogy There are over one hundred minerals that contain manganese. These minerals vary from those with compositions that are predominantly manganese to those having only minor percentages. [Chemical Mineral Composition % Mn Hausmannite Mn304 72 Polianite MnO2, 63.1 Pyrolusite MnO24 60-63 Cryptomelane KR8O16R (R=Mn) Variable PsilomelaneBa Mn Mn8O16 (OH).45-60 CoronaditePb R8O16R (R=Mn) Variable Hollandite Ba R8O16R (R=Mn) Variable Manganite Mn2O3•H20 62 Braunite 3 Mn2O3•MnSiO3 62 Tephroite 2 MnO•SiO2 54.3 Rhodochrosite MnCO3 47 Rhodonite MnSiO3 42 Spessartite 3 MnO•AI2O3•3SIO2 33.3 WadHydrous Mn OxidesVariable Franklinite(Fe Mn Zn)O(Fe Mn)sO3 Variable Asbolan Cobaltiferous wad Variable AlabanditeMnS63.14] Geology From a geological standpoint most manganese deposits are complex. In general, it can be said that all primary deposits of manganese are carbonates or silicates. The most productive and profitable have been those of sedimentary origin and residual concentrations. Examples of these residual types of deposits are associated with the metamorphosed lodes of Madhya, Pradesh, India, and the lateritic deposits of Orissa and Bihar, India; nodules in the residual clays of the Philippine Islands, US southern Appalachians and Arkansas, Ghana, and Brazil. Sedimentary manganese deposits are best exemplified by the Nikopol district of Russia and the Tchiatouri area of Georgia, USSR. Hydrothermal replacements are characterized by the rhodochrosite deposits of Butte and Phillipsburg, MT. In general, the hydrothermal type deposit has not resulted in any large tonnages being produced, but may have given

Jan 1, 1983

For the benefit of those of our members who are considerable holders of securities, but owing to their isolated situations are not in close touch with the metropolitan market and current quotations, we are publishing PRICE TREND OF NEW YORK BOND MARKET This graph shows the average prices often railroad, ten industrial and five public utility bonds on the first business day of each month from January, 1915, to December, 1918, and the weekly fluctuations since January 1, 1919. two very interesting graphs, showing the course of the bond and stock markets in New York over a long period. These graphs are furnished through the courtesy of the financial department of the New York Tribune.

Jan 4, 1919

By Wilhelm Rohn

IN discussing the influence of a content of gases on metals and alloys we should probably first consider the physical and chemical conditions under which these gases may be present. By a chemical analysis, such as the total extraction of gases from the liquid metal by melting in a graphite crucible in vacuo, we find only the sum of gaseous chemical elements contained in the metal in any form and no reference is made to the special form under which they have been present previously. CONDITION OF GASES IN METALS In considering gases . in metals we may first turn our attention to gases simply dissolved. Because the solubility of almost any gas decreases suddenly at the freezing point, most of them are released during solidification, developing rise of ingots and blowholes. If only a little gas is dissolved in the molten metal the size of such blowholes may be miscroscopical, or even submicroscopical, resulting in a certain reduction of the notched-bar impact test values. Hydrogen is believed to become less soluble as the temperature is lowered and therefore increasing quantities of this gas may be evolved during cooling between the freezing point and room temperature, leading to unsoundness of the ingot at weak spots; i.e., at the grain boundaries. This gas at the grain boundaries probably is present at high pressure and therefore impairs the mechanical properties to a degree similar to that found in the hydrogen embrittlement of copper. Usually we may trace such gases by observing rising ingots, or at least by the formation of a characteristic pattern of small grooves upon etching.

Jan 1, 1932

By J. Parke Channing

We are accustomed to think that we are efficient in the United States, particularly with respect to such things as mining and manufacturing. The conduct of the war has demanded in England and in France a complete readjustment of manufacturing methods and plans, and today England, is probably as efficient a country as there is in the world, not even excepting Germany. This is all the more remarkable because it has been notorious for years that England has been inefficient in her manufacturing and the country has been flooded with things "Made in Germany.'' Today England is almost a socialistic community and the State is doing almost everything. England is now in such a position that practically everyone in the country is engaged in industry necessary for the conduct of the war, and this has been accomplished by increasing the efficiency both of her tools and of her man power. In the United States we certainly have been efficient so far as machines and perhaps so far as methods have been concerned, but we have not been efficient in the utilization of our man power. Before the war, our labor was undoubtedly far more efficient than that of England, but it certainly was not so highly efficient as it should have been, and the problem that confronts us today, and will all the more confront us after the war, is to make our man power efficient. England has had a taste of what you may call State Socialism, and her laboring men are not going to be content to return to the old order of things. There is one feature of the labor problem in England which has permitted her to reach this condition of state socialism with comparative rapidity; this is that practically all of her laborers are English; she has little or no foreign population. While an Englishman may be a strong union man and ready to fight his employer tooth and nail, at heart he is still a British subject, and when his country was in danger he rose to the occasion. In the United States we have such an admixture of unassimilated foreigners that the problem is more difficult, and as yet we have not been brought to that point of stress which has arrived in England. But if

Jan 1, 1919

By Z. T. Bieniawski

The importance of understanding the phenomena associated with rock fracture has long been fully appreciated in rock mechanics. This is clearly apparent from the special attention paid to rock fracture in the comprehensive papers published within the past four years.l-5 These papers present a picture of how the knowledge of brittle fracture of rock was gradually enriched and also show that what was often taken for granted three or four years ago is no longer considered as valid today. The Griffith hypothesis,6 thought in the past to predict the strength of rock, is now known to be applicable to fracture initiation only. The knowledge of a failure criterion for fracture initiation is not sufficient, however, as after fracture initiation the rock is still a useful material even possessing increasing load-bearing ability. The importance of the fracture propagation process, subsequent to fracture initiation, is thus obvious. Yet, relatively little attention has so far been paid to brittle fracture propagation in rock. As it is now realized that understanding of this process is a prerequisite for practical rock mechanics applications, studies of propagation of brittle fracture in rock constitute an important aspect of rock mechanics research. It has been pointed out 4 that it is essential that the failure mechanism is fully understood before a failure criterion is postulated. Many failure criteria have been propounded in the past on the basis of theoretical reasoning alone and could not be verified by experimental evidence. Recently, a hypothesis for the mechanism of brittle fracture of rock was propounded, 4 describing the events taking place in the rock from the initial application of gradually increased load to complete disintegration of the material.

Jan 1, 1972

By Harry C. Swanson

TRANSPORTING concrete from mixer to forms has always been a problem. Twenty-five years ago this task was generally accomplished by means of wheelbarrow or concrete buggy. On large dam jobs, as the number of these projects increased, the gantry crane or highline came into use. Today several methods of handling concrete are employed on smaller surface construction jobs, for example, transit-mix trucks or dumpcrete trucks, which have crawler cranes with buckets for placing concrete into forms. In 1944, during early stages of developing Mather mine A shaft, several large underground concrete jobs were necessary. At this time the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co, purchased the first pump-crete machine, introduced by the Chain Belt Co. of Milwaukee. The machine was used to pour approximately 200 cu yd of concrete for a dam, or bulkhead, located 400 ft from the shaft. Concrete was mixed on surface, lowered down the shaft 1000 ft in a 2-cu yd bucket hung under one skip, spouted into the bowl of the pumpcrete machine from the bucket, and pumped directly into the forms. Since the day of the first pipeline concrete in 1944 to the present time, other equipment and other methods have been developed to permit transportation of concrete by pipeline through vertical and horizontal distances totaling 1 mile from mixer to forms. Much of the efficiency in present handling of underground concrete can be credited to the Bethlehem Cornwall mines, where concrete was transported through 6-in. pipe for great distances down an inclined shaft and along levels into forms.' During initial development of Mather mine B shaft, with concrete work under way on two or more levels at one time, the pneumatic concrete placer, Fig. 1, was selected as best adapted for underground concrete transportation. The 3/4-cu yd pneumatic placer is a small machine readily moved from one location in the mine to another. It can be equipped with two sets of mine car wheels, which will permit moving on regular mine tracks. It is therefore possible to send concrete through the pipe at great velocity; the pipeline is clean after each shot except for the film of cement adhering to the inside. With the proper slump in the concrete, it is possible to shoot concrete 2000 ft with this machine, using the mine supply of compressed air at 95 psi. This equipment was first used at Mather mine B shaft to concrete slusher drifts, Figs. 2 and 3, and finger raises located about 2000 ft from the shaft. In several instances there were bends into crosscuts and up vertical distances into the forms. For the first pours two placers were used. The first was located near the shaft where the concrete could be spouted into it from a 2-cu yd concrete bucket on the cage. The second was set on the side of the drift at a point approximately 1500 ft from the shaft. The concrete was shot directly into the second placer from the first unit and from the second machine directly into the forms. After completion of several pours with the two machines, a trial pour with only one placer located at the shaft proved that the second placer could be eliminated. Since then all pours have been successfully completed with only one placer underground. As production of iron ore from the mine increased and the development program expanded, use of the cage for handling mine supplies and concrete became a major problem. This brought about the first attempt at shooting concrete vertically down the shaft for 2600 ft. A 6-in. pipeline with victaulic couplings installed during shaft sinking was used for the trial. One placer was set on surface 250 ft from the collar of the shaft so concrete could be spouted directly into it from the mixer. This machine shot the concrete 250 ft horizontally on surface to the shaft, 2600 ft vertically down the shaft, and 100 ft horizontally into the second placer located near the rib of the shaft station or plat. The second machine shot the batch into the forms, about 2000 ft. Total distance horizontally and vertically was 4800 ft. The entire time cycle for a ¾-cu yd batch of concrete from the mixer on surface to the forms underground totaled about 5 min. During the past two years the two-placer method from the mixer on surface to the forms underground has proved a very efficient means of transporting underground concrete. Advantages of using pipeline concrete are as follows: 1—Interference with normal mining operation is eliminated. When the cage, skips, mine cars, or mine openings are used for transporting concrete and materials used for making concrete, mine operation suffers in one way or another.

Jan 1, 1955

By James A. Barr

THE writer's first experience with flotation was during World War I, in the beneficiation of Alabama graphite schist ores. One plant used a cone with a peripheral overflow; dried ore was distributed by a rotating disk onto the surface of the water. No reagents were added. The flake-graphite film floated along with some fine silica. Dewatering screens separated the flake. Naturally unit capacities were low but results were satisfactory. Minerals Separation mechanical flotation machines were used in another graphite mill. Pine oil was added directly to the head cells, with very good results. All the graphite concentrates from both types of flotation were carefully refined after drying by passing through burr mills, followed by very close sizing on sifters. In March 1927, the writer ran a very successful flotation test on minus 28-mesh, deslimed, Tennessee brown phosphate "sand,"[t] using a mechanical laboratory machine built in the shops of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., through the courtesy of Ernest Klepetko. The machine was soon converted to a subaeration type, with improved results. This phosphate research program was greatly enlarged and led to the formation of the Phosphate Recovery Corporation. The development of nonmetallic flotation followed rapidly. The first flotation machine for beneficiation of phosphate was installed in January 1928, in a pilot mill, by International Minerals and Chemical Corporation, at Mulberry, Florida. These machines were Minerals Separation, 24-in., subaeration types, with weir control of pulp between cells. The sand bleeders were very small-about 1 ¼ -in. diameter. As the feed contained 15 to 25 per cent plus 28-mesh material, the cells choked up frequently. This was corrected by cutting a 2 by 6-in. bleeder opening above the impellers, at grid level, which short-circuited the coarse fractions directly into the feed of the next cell. The matter of size classification and grinding was a considerable problem, which does not come within the scope of this article. Because of the troubles noted above, cascade-type roughers were installed in the second flotation plant, built about 1930. Experimental cells had been tried in 1928. General plant layout is shown in Fig. I and details of the cascade construction in Fig. 2. The cascade installation in plant No. 2 gave good results and eliminated troubles due to choke-ups and coarse feed. The capacities and metallurgical results equaled those of the modified 24-in. Minerals Separation flotation machines in plant No. I The objections to the cascade installation are the floor space and mill height required. In 1939 an improved Minerals Separation machine was tested in parallel with the cascades. Extensive tests indicated

Jan 1, 1945

By Fredrick C. Kruger

Risk capital for mining ventures becomes harder to get each year as the costs for exploration, construction and money continue to skyrocket in today's inflationary economy. Because of this and because mining prospects must compete for the same dollar as many other needs of a diversified company, then the success or failure of any new proposal depends on how well its return on investment compares with all other capital requests. Mr. Kruger presents case histories showing what it costs to explore for new mines, how many of these prospects reward their promoters with success and how well some of the more famous mines have paid off.

Jan 9, 1969

By Thomas Adair

Moderator-Thomas Adair is now a tunnel consultant with Perini Corp., Spring Lake, N.J. He has had 40 years experience in tunnel and shaft-sinking work in both soft and hard rock, as well as subaqueous rock. He has used moles in various locations and has traveled around the world studying the problems. SOME BRIEF COMMENTS ON "MOLES" by Thomas Adair We of the Perini Corp. have been, over the past 15 years, in the forefront of the battle to develop the mechanized miner. We have contributed much to pioneer, develop, and promote the use of the mining machine. Our money and talent have not been spared in this effort. However, we are sorry to say that as of the present time (1968), at least from the economic stand- point, this effort has not been very rewarding. But, I must say to those who are presently involved in the work of building mining machines, do not be discouraged. There is money in it. We of Perini Corp. know because we put it in there. It has been estimated that during the next 15 years, some $20 billion will be spent on underground excavation; more than 13 thousand miles of sub- surface tunnels will be excavated throughout the nation. An aggressive, properly structured research and development effort would produce, within the next five or ten years, a better excavation technology and improved boring system capable of reducing present costs drastically, with a resultant great saving. The time for this effort is now, but where the enabling money for this effort will come from, I have no idea. Machine builders should be encouraged to design and develop a shield- type boring machine capable of continuous mining through varying types of ground or rock by incorporating the possibility of making minor modifications such as change of bit type, power package, etc. Such a machine could

Jan 1, 1970

By J. J. Frawley, W. J. Childs

Experiments were carried out to induce grain refinement during solidification by applying vibrational energy (freq 20 kc) to small specimens of bismuth, tin, and bismuth-tin alloys. The results show that if the intensity of the applied sound -field is not great enough to fragment the growing dendrites of a pure metal, no grain refinement is observed and the pain size of the dynamically nucleated specimens is the same as the grain size of a specimen statically supercooled the same amount. Bismuth specimens did not show any grain refinement; whereas, the tin specimens did show grain refinement. This phenomenon is the result of the difference in growth habit between the bismuth and tin dendrites. The bismuth-tin alloys showed grain refinement and, in addition, the segregation pattern was changed. THE solidification process is a change in phase requiring the nucleation of the solid phase from the liquid and the growth of this solid phase at the expense of the liquid phase. Since many physical properties and also the integrity of a casting are dependent on the solidification process, understanding and controlling this process are very important.' A good example in the controlling of a cast structure using heterogeneous nucleation theory is the reduction of grain size in aluminum castings by nucleation catalysis.2 This mechanism of nucleation catalysis has been explained by Turnbull.3 Another technique for grain refinement, which has received much attention but the mechanism has not been fully understood, is to vibrate the solidifying melt. Vibrations can be applied to the melt either by vibrating the mold directly or by introducing a vibrating rod into the melt.4-13 Three mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon: 1) The mechanical fragmentation of the original dendrites that grew into the melt. These crystals or fragmented dendrites act as new growth sites. 2) The nucleation of new grains in the liquid by the generation of very high pressure pulses caused by cavitation in the liquid. 3) The remelting of the dendrite arms during the solidification process. This mechanism is operative only in alloy systems and would be enhanced by stirring or mechanical vibration. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the mechanism that will increase the number of grains when mechanical energy is introduced into a solidifying melt. APPARATUS The unit used to generate the ultrasonic vibrations was manufactured by the Redford Co., and is similar to the one used in ultrasonic soldering. Fig. 1 is a sketch of the major components used for generating ultrasonic vibrations. The crystal transducer assembly consisted of four lead zirconate ti-tanate piezoelectric crystals in an aluminum holder. An acoustical horn, which was fabricated from stainless steel, was attached to the holder by a set screw. The resonant frequency of this unit was 20,000 cycles per sec. A Pyrex crucible, 4 in. in diam and 4 in. high, was contained in a hole in the top of the horn. The piezoelectric crystals changed volume when excited by an electric signal, thereby generating a sound signal which passed through the horn. The crucible was coupled to the horn by a liquid silicone oil. The purpose of the couplant was to transmit the soundwaves from the horn to the crucible. Without the couplant, much of the sound energy would be lost. The energy transmitted was sufficient at the resonant frequency used, so that acoustical cavitation always occurred in the molten metal. The presence of acoustical cavitation was detected by the characteristic hissing sound emitted from the liquid. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The influence of ultrasonic vibration on the grain refinement of bismuth, tin, and bismuth-tin alloys was studied. These metals were chosen because of their low melting temperature and the relative ease with which they can be thermally supercooled. The following procedure was used for obtaining large amounts of supercooling. Pure bismuth (99.999+), which was received in bar form, was mechanically broken into pieces small enough to be accommodated in a 50 ml beaker. About 200 to 300 g of bismuth and a few grams of SnCl2 as a flux were placed in the 50 ml beaker and melted by induction heating. The melt was held for 20 min at

Jan 1, 1970

By C. A. Doh, R. Q. Fields, M. Lebourg

A formation tester run on logging cable is now available to the oil industry. It offers a method of safely and rapidly testing possible producing formations in uncased holes. These tests can be made up the hole after running the electric log. Reservoir pressure data is continuously recorded at the surface as the fluid sample is extracted. The tester may be assembled with a reservoir of 1-, 2.75-, or 5.5-gal capacity. A retaining pad on the body of the tool is expanded against the wall of the hole at the exact depth desired; this depth is determined by electrical log control. Two bullets are then fired through the center of the retaining pad which create a connection between the formation and a flow line to the sample chamber. When the chamber is filled, a valve is closed and the fluid sample sealed at maximum pressure. The tool is retracted to minimum diameter and brought out of the hole. Electrical circuits permit a complete recording at the surface of the mechanical operations of the tool as well as the formation pressure build-up and the hydrostatic mud pressure. The tool was introduced commercially during the latter part of 1955 in the Gulf Coasts of Louisiana and Texas. Over 1,000 operations have been made to date (Sept. 1, 1956); 50 per cent of which resulted in successful tests. Failures have been due mostly to ineffective sealing in unconsolidated sands. One major company had 41 successful tests out of 80 attempts with 23 ineffective pad seals. Results for this company were very gratifying as to pinpointing gas-oil ratios, indicating productive permeabilities and aiding in determination of fluid content where electrical log and side-wall coring information were inconclusive. Eight typical pressure curves are discussed (including misruns). Six types of fluid recoveries are interpreted. Eight actual field examples of electric logs, showing the problems solved by the formation tester, are illustrated. The present applications of the tool are discussed: 1. Determination of productive fluid—varticularlv differentiating between gas and oil. 2. Determination of reservoir pressure as an aid to: (a) safety in completion technique, (b) reduction in drilling costs, and (c) reservoir analysis. 3. Determination of minimum gas-oil ratios. 4. Location of gas-oil or oil-water contacts. 5. Recovery of samples for examination and analysis: oil (gravity); gas (hydrocarbon content); water (salinity). Additional applications envisioned for the future are also given: (I) subsurface exploration based on accurate pressure, (2) recovery of fluid samples from the undisturbed reservoir for PVT work, and (3) possible quantitative study of permeabilities or productivity index. Running the formation tester requires no special pre-cautionary measures. Because full hydrostatic mud pressure is maintained at all times, well depth is no problem. Thus, the method allows safe, economical testing in wells which heretofore could only be tested by setting casing. INTRODUCTION A new method of safely and rapidly testing possible producing formations in uncased holes is achieving considerable success. The method offers promise of further advances in reservoir study. Called the formation tester, the new instrument is unique in that it operates on logging cable. It thus offers all the advantages of wire-line operations and becomes an important adjunct to present logging and side-wall coring services. The tester is operated against the wall of the hole at any depth desired. Zones to be tested are usually determined by a study of the electrical and the micro-caliper surveys. Reservoir data, as well as the operating cycle of the tool in the hole, are continuously recorded at the surface during the operation. The tester, as it was originally designed, was capable of recovering a 1-gal sample of reservoir fluid per trip in the hole. Tools with reservoirs of 2.75- and 5.5-gal capacity are now available. The 5.5-gal reservoir is equipped with a segregating system, set before going in the hole, so that the last portion of the recovery (usually 1 gal) is automatically separated from the first portion. This makes it possible

Jan 1, 1958

By T. F. Bower, M. C. Flemings, H. D. Brody

A series of experiments are reported which show thai reasonable assumptions for analysis of solute redistribution in solidification of castings and ingols illclr(de: negligible undercooling before nuclcation of solid phases, negligible increase of solute in advance of the tips of growing dendrites, complete diffusion within the Liquid oer distances the order, of dentrite arm spacings, platelike dentrite t/o?$holog?.. Qzmli/ali,e and periment is obtained JOY Al-Cu alloys front measurements of amount of nonequilibrium second phase, minimum solute content at the centers dentrites arms (after solidification), and 3) change in minimum solute content in dentrite arms during solidification. In a previous paper' analyses were given describing solute redistribution in dendritic solidification. The analyses were undertaken primarily to permit prediction of "severity of microsegregation" in a casting or ingot after solidification and cooling to room temperature, but can also be used to predict "local fraction solid' as a function of temperature in the solidifying alloy. Numerical results were given for Al-Cu alloys. The aims of this paper are to examine the validity of some of the assumptions of that analysis, and to compare predictions of the theory with experiments. All experiments reported are on Al-Cu alloys, the bulk on Al-4.5 pct Cu alloy. EXPERIMENTS Experiments conducted were on small ingots, 41/2 in. in diam by about 10 in. high. solidified in a controlled thermal environment (i.e., in a resistance-heated, re-circulating air furnace, whose temperature could be controlled to 1°C). In one series of experiments, the ingots were solidified very slowly (solidification time was varied from 8 to 1000 hr) and at constant rate of heat extraction. In a second series of experiments the ingots were solidified ( 'unidirectionally". Fig. 1 is a sketch of the method of making the two different types of ingots. The unidirectionally solidified ingots were fully columnar, and the slowly solidified ingots had equiaxed structures, Fig. 2. In making the slowly solidified ingots, the mold employed was carbon steel, coated with inert refractory. Typically the mold and its environment were heated to 700°C. The molten alloy was then poured into the mold and the temperature of the system equilibrated above the liquidus. The environment of the mold was next cooled with a controller responding to a differential thermocouple that measured the difference between the temperature of the melt and the temperature of the mold environment. The differential thermocouple consisted of one chromel-alumel junction in the melt connected in opposition with a second junction in the furnace. The potential across the differential thermocouple was input to the controller which acted to keep this potential at a set. constant value; hence the temperature difference between the two junctions was maintained nearly constant. Major resistance to heat flow in the above apparatus was between the metal surface and the furnace atmosphere, not in the metal itself. By maintaining a constant temperature difference between the metal and the furnace atmosphere, the controller maintained an essentially constant rate of heat extraction during solidification, regardless of amount of heat released by the metal per unit temperature change. When the metal temperature dropped just below the eutectic temperature. the ingot was removed from the furnace and water-quenched. The unidirectionally solidified ingots were cast in a similar mold to the foregoing except that provision was made to extract heat through the bottom face of the mold by passing air or water through the mold base, Fig. 1. For these experiments, metal and mold temperature were again equilibrated above the liquidus. Temperature of the mold environment was then held

Jan 1, 1967

By Charles Catlett

Having had charge during the past year of the operations of the New River Coke Company, the second largest, if not the largest, coke-producer in this district, my attention was called particularly to the yield of coke from the coal as coked in a bank of beehive ovens, as the record showed that this yield, while believed to be well up with the practice of the district, was much lower than the analysis of the coal indicated it should be. The coal is well known to many members of the Institute, and the scope of this paper does not include a discussion of its occurrence and development. It suffices to say that the New River district comprises the mines working on the coals of No. XII. or the Conglomerate Series of the Rogers brothers, which are located on New river and its tributaries, and which find an outlet for their product east and west over the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway. The New river through this section carries the drainage from an extensive peneplain in which it has formed a very striking and stupendous canon, probably the most striking east of the Mississippi river. The only practical access to this territory is by means of this canon and the Chesapeake and Ohio road, and the opportunities for development by other lines may be considered as nil. If it were not for the fact that this road, farther west, reaches and develops entirely different coals, which are found in other measures, the New River district might properly be spoken of (as is now done at times) as the " C and 0. field." For fuller information on the geology of the region, those interested are referred to the ery complete monograph on the subject by Mendenhall and Campbell of the United States Geological Survey. The rocks are the same as those which carry the more widely

Jan 1, 1900

By H. M. Howe

PART I. INTRODUCTORY. § 24. INTRODUCTION.-This paper discusses the chief existing data as to the temperature, in iron-carbon alloys, of Ae.3, the upper limit of the transformation range when in equilibrium, as distinguished from Ac3, the temperature at which the end of the transformation is noted in heating up, and from Ar3, that at which its beginning is noted in cooling down. The former is in fact carried above Ae3 and the latter below Ae3 by lag. I touch incidentally on the influence of manganese on Ae3 (§ 29, p. 1102). The sections, tables, and illustrations, are numbered consecutively with those in the accompanying papers by Howe and Levy on Determination of, the Position of Ae3 in Carbon-Iron Alloys, and by Burgess, Crowe, and Rawdon on Thermal and Microscopical Examination of Professor Howe's Standard Commercial Steels, to which the present paper forms a sequel. § 25. The contradictoriness of our present evidence is shown by grouping it together in Fig. 14. For instance, both Goerens and Meyer (Series 2) and Meuthen (Series 12) used practically stationary temperature, and thus reduced the influence of lag very greatly; yet Ae3 for 0.32 carbon steel according to the former investigators is 894°, but according to Meuthen it is at or below 770°, a discrepancy of 124° or more. In view of our ability to measure these high temperatures within a few degrees, the existence of such a discrepancy is as unwelcome as it seems needless. I attack the thankless task of bringing some order out of this chaos.

Jan 6, 1913