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By S. P. Burke

OUTBURSTS in coal mines have contributed greatly to the hazard of mining operations in localities in which they occur. They have been responsible for many casualties and fatalities and much property damage. An excellent review and symposium on the subject appeared recently1. From a study of the papers included in this symposium, and other litera-ture on this subject2, the following conclusions or statements seem justified: 1. Outbursts are more likely to occur in deep mines; that is, where the coal seam being mined has considerable overburden. 2. Outbursts usually occur when hard, dense, nonfractured coal is being mined. It is believed that in most cases a fault or a pocket of friable or soft or pulverized coal existed some distance behind the dense coal at the time of the outburst. 3. The outburst involves a rending or pushing of the solid material of the coal face, the roof, or the floor outwards and often is accompanied by the discharge of large quantities of very fine coal. 4. Drill holes or borings into the coal ahead of the workings have failed to yield information either from evidence of increased gas pressure or increased gas flow that makes possible the prediction of outbursts. 5. Mines in which outbursts occur are usually considered "nongassy," or only very slightly "gassy"; yet large volumes of gas may be produced at the time of the outburst. Despite the varied conditions and varied locations in which outbursts have occurred, the foregoing general statements appear to be applicable in whole or in part to all the recorded cases. These observations there-fore should be significant and any explanation of the mechanism of the phenomena should be consistent with them. The following suggestion seems to be in accord with this requirement, and is offered in the hope that it may assist in the further elucidation of this phenomenon.

Jan 1, 1935

By Leland Russell van Wert

In 1888, Howard,1' working at the Watertown Arsenal on the tensile properties of ferrous materials at various temperatures, noted the curious fact that the stress-strain diagrams of low-carbon steels tested within a certain temperature range (200" to 350" C.) departed more or less from the normal regularity of such diagrams as secured by testing at either above or below these temperatures. This same jagged appearance of similar diagrams for steels has been observed by at least one other investigator, and de Forest2 has reported similar irregularities in the tensile testing of some nonferrous alloys. Recently again, this anomaly in diagram contour has been shown in a most striking fashion, apparently because of its accentuation by the method of testing employed, by Dr. Albert Sauveur.~ He described (for nonaustenitie steels) two quite distinct types of torsional stress-time diagrams: (1) those with a regular and smooth outline, derived normally by testing at temperatures above 300" C., or below 200" C. (as, for example, Figs. 4a or e); and (2) those presenting a decided "stepped" appearance, which are invariably produced when twisting is done within the 200" to 300" C. range (examples, Figs. 5a and b). The torsion test brings out so much more sharply (and convincingly) the irregularities occurring at 200' and 300" C. than does the tensile test that they can no longer be considered as resulting from simply idiosyncratic or accidental and inconsequential causes. Clearly, from the temperatures involved, the "stepped" type of diagram, or more accurately, the peculiar manner of response to torsional stress which manifests itself in the diagram, is an aspect of the "blue-heat" phenomenon. One's curiosity, if nothing else, prompts an inquiry as to the nature and significance of these "steps." What do they mean? What causes them To these questions there are no completely satisfactory answers. The following experimental observations are offered as suggestions towards the solution of the problem.

Jan 1, 1931

By L. C. Armstrong

Twice in the past two years and in two widely separated localities—ane near Williamsville, Mo., and the other in the Allard Lake district of Quebec— the Contract Drilling Division of the Longyear Company has experienced perplexing difficulties in drilling granitoid igneous rocks. The rocks in both places are characterized by appreciable amounts of feldspar intimately inter-grown with quartz particles of microscopic dimensions. The disappointingly slow rate of advance and the exceptionally high bortz loss, obtaining during the life of these two projects, are ascribed largely to the resistance to abrasion of these two minerals when arranged in this intergrown pattern. Whether all intergrowth-bearing igneous rocks would offer extraordinary resistance to bit progress cannot be stated with assurance on the strength of these experiences alone. More data on diamond drilling this sort of material in a number of localities are needed before any generalizations can be made safely. It should be pointed out that the lack of time and funds made it impossible for the writer, or other persons interested in correlating the details of bit histories with the kinds of rocks drilled, to be present during the performance of the contracts. However, the records kept in the normal course of drilling are deemed complete enough to be reportworthy. This information is presented here together with the findings made in studies of the rocks involved, with the thought that it may attract the comments of others who may have encountered similar refractory drilling conditions. A pooling of knowledge on the problem would be of material aid in devising more efficient cutting tools and procedures for penetrating this kind of rock. Drilling Blastholes in the Williamsville Granite Due to the unsatisfactory perform- ance of pneumatic percussion drills in boring blastholes on a construction contract near Williamsville, Mo., tests were made with a diamond drill. The poor progress achieved and the excessive loss of diamonds, however, soon led to the abandonment of these trials. The diamonds, in all of the bits tried, lost their cutting edges and acquired a polish after being in service for distances ranging from a few inches to a few feet. Coring bits containing surface-set, whole-stone bortz in a tungsten powder matrix were employed. The cost assignable to bortz wear averaged $7.17 per foot. This item of expense is several times the amount normally expended in diamond drilling in firm, unfractured, granitic rocks. Diamond-impregnated, tungsten carbide bits also were used without success. The diamond wear was at the rate of $0.98 per foot, but the diamond chips became too polished for further duty in less than a foot of drilling. The Williamsville granite is pink and medium-grained. In the hand specimen, it has a fresh, sound appearance; it is seemingly composed almost entirely of interlocking grains of feldspar and quartz and has no discernible features suggesting a greater durability than is usually found in rocks with this composition and texture. Microscopic examination, however, reveals a predominance of feldspar grains with more or less regularly distributed and sharply angular masses of quartz (see Fig 1). The pattern assumed by the two minerals in this mode of occurrence is referred to as a "graphic intergrowth," as it bears some resemblance to the cuneiform characters of ancient Persian writing. The other principal constituents are quartz-free feldspars (microcline and orthoclase) and quartz. All of these constituents are in nearly equidimensional grains, ranging up to about 3 mm in length. There are also

Jan 1, 1950

Trans No. Place Date Vol. 1. Wilkes-Barre, Pa' May, '71 1 2. Bethlehem, Pa Aug., '71 1 3. Troy, N. Y Nov., '71.. 1 4. Philadelphia, Pa Feb., '72.. 1 5. New York, N. Y.' May, '72.. 1 8. Pittsburgh, Pa Oct., '72.. 1 7. Boston, Maas Feb., '73.. 1 8. Philadelphia, Pa." May, '73.. 2 9. Easton, Pa Oct., '73.. 2 10. New York, N. Y Feb.. '74.. 2 11. St. Louis, Mo.* May, '74.. 3 12. Hazleton, Pa Oct., '74.. 3 13. New Haven, Conn Feb., '75.. 3 14. Dover, N. J. ? May, '75.. 4 15. Cleveland, 0 Oct., '75.. 4 16. Washington, D. C Feb., '76.. 4 17. Philadelphia, Pa.} June, '76.. 5 18. Philadelphia, Pa Oct., '76.. 5 19. New York, N. Y Feb., '77.. 5 20. Wilkes-Barre, Pa. ? May, '77.. 8 21. Amenia, N. Y Oct., '77, . 6 22. Philadelphia, Pa Feb., '78:. 6 23. Chattanooga, Tenn.*...May, '78'.. 7 24. Lake George, N. Y Oct., '78.. 7 25. Baltimore, Md.* Feb., '79.. 7 26. Pittsburgh, Pa Mayo '79.. 8 27. Montreal, Canada Sept., '79., 8 28, New York, N. Y.? Feb., 'SO.. 8 29. Lake Superior, Mich. ..Aug., '80.. 9 30. Philadelphia, Pa.' Feb., '81.. 9 31. Staunton, Va May, '81..10 32. Harrisburg, Pa Oct., '81..10 33. Washington, D. C.? ....Feb., '82..10 34. Denver, Colo Aug., '82..11

Jan 1, 1928

IN general in making such powders, all kinds of gravel, tuff, washed river silt, and similar earths whose grain is fine and lean by nature are good for this operation of casting, either by themselves or in mixture because they are disposed to receive the metals well on account of a certain dryness which they possess. Many kinds are also compounded by means of art. Of these, I shall proceed to tell of all those that experience [119] has taught me to recognize as good. But first I desire that we return to speak of the natural ones because they are real earths and can always be had wherever one may be, and in the necessary quantity. They please me greatly because they are easy to reduce on account of their disposition. A loam is made from these and mixed by beating with wool-cloth cut- tings, spent wash ashes, and horse dung. This is made into cakes and dried. These are then put to bake in a furnace or in some other way and, in fact, are baked very well. Then it is pounded and sifted with a fine sieve, or it is ground in a potter's color mill, or by hand on a porphyry with water, to the fineness that the craftsman desires, or as fine as he can make it. When it has been ground it is again drained free from water and dried out with fire. Then as much magistery of salt is taken as will moisten it. It is dried and pounded again and passed through a sieve. When it has been made as desired in this way it is moistened again before use with water, urine, or vinegar just enough so that it holds together when it is squeezed in the fist. Then, when it has been brought to this point, it is moulded as you will hear. Powders are also made of crushed brick, tripoli, vine ashes, tiles, and glazed drainpipes, or burned emery, calcined tin, straw, and of burned paper and horse dung as well as of young ram's-horn ashes and many other things. The goodness of all these depends on three things; namely, on receiving the metal well, on being so fine as to be almost impalpable, and on their being made .with a magistery that renders them hard and strong when they are dry. In addition to these powders I have used another when I needed it, and it has succeeded well every time I made it. To make this. I have taken I two parts of pumice and one of iron scale and ground them on the por-

Jan 1, 1942

By Robert Phelps

A STUDY of solid solutions has long been a source of interest because of the conditions -controlling their formation. X-ray investigations so far have been conducted with the idea that there were two types of solid solutions. In the first type, an atom of the solute was supposed to replace an atom of the solvent in the crystal lattice. In the second type, an atom of the solute was supposed to lie in one of the interstices between the atoms of the solvent. These pictures both require that the sizes of the atoms must play an important part in the process of solution. It is the purpose of the present investigation to study the mechanism of solid solution, using pure silver as the. solvent, and pure aluminum as the solute. X-ray measurements show that these elements have the same "shape" of atomic domains (they both crystallize as face-centered cubes) and that their atomic diameters differ by less than one per cent.1 The results of the present investigation point toward a chemical rather than a physical picture of the nature of solid solution, and make the older' pictures merely special cases of a more general picture. The new theory has the advantage, too, that it offers a rational explanation of certain phenomena which hitherto have been only interesting detached facts. The aluminum-silver system which was, chosen for this study has been studied by various methods by several workers. By means of thermal analysis Gautier2 and Petrenko3 have determined the phase diagram. Hansen4 studied the aluminum-rich alloys by means of thermal and microscopic analyses. , He showed that at high temperatures silver dissolved in aluminum to the extent of 47 per cent by weight at 5600 C. But this solubility decreased to 1 per cent at 200° C. Westgren and Bradley5made an extensive X-ray study of these alloys. They used the change in the lattice parameter of silver as a criterion of the solution

Jan 1, 1932

By J. C. Detweiler

THE Jacksonville plant of Humphreys Gold Corp., operating under leases from National Lead Co. and Rutile Mining Co. of Florida, recovers rutile, ilmenite, zircon, and monazite from an ancient beach deposit containing about 2.5 pct of these minerals in combination. The location of the plant is unique, being situated about ten miles from the center of Jacksonville, Fla., surrounded by a thriving suburb. Two four-lane highways pass within 1 ½ miles of the plant. An expressway now under construction will pass over the tailing pile, within 500 ft of the mine office. The elevation at the plant site is approximately 50 ft above sea level. This is one of two mines producing titanium minerals and zircon in Florida. Another mine is also operated by Humphreys at Starke, about 50 miles southeast of Jacksonville. The Jacksonville deposit extends about six miles in a north-south direction, averaging approximately one half mile wide and twenty ft thick. Values begin at the surface over most of its length and ter-

Jan 1, 1952

By Strathmore R. B. Cooke

That calcium will activate quartz for flotation with anionic collectors such as soaps has been known for a number of years,1 2 3 and the method has been applied to the concentration of various iron ore 4 5 6 as well as to other materials. Clemmer gives the permissible pH range for the activation of quartz by calcium as between 9.5 and 12.5 with an optimum value of 11.0, and Hertzog7 has determined the calcium abstraction of iron ores and of Ottawa sand, but otherwise little quantitative data are available. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine those conditions under which dilute solutions of calcium chloride will activate quartz for anionic flotation and to determine the amount of calcium ion adsorbed by quartz. Those variables, the influence of which was primary, such as calcium, sodium, and hydrogen ion concentrations, were studied. Other factors which influenced the results are discussed in the description of the experiments. Three different experimental methods were used to determine the activation of the quartz. The first method was to treat a sample of ground, deslimed quartz with solutions of calcium chloride and sodium hydroxide, and to determine the calcium adsorbed by chemical analysis of the solution. Ad- vantages are that a direct value for the

Jan 1, 1949

By C. T. Eddy, R. W. Drier

The conductivity of copper wire is of prime importance to the electrical industry and consequently to the copper refiner and wire manufacturer. Annealed copper wire has a higher conductivity than hard-drawn wire, but, on the other hand, its tensile strength is lower. In an attempt to explain the reasons for these changes in properry. or at least to study the conditions existing in these two types of copper wire, the experiments described here were carried on in the Department of Metallurgy of the Michigan College of Mining and Technology This is only a partial and preliminary report on some of the work done to date on a research program of which the object is an intensive study of copper. It is offered with the hope that, though it is not an exposition of the most rigorous of conclusions, the general trend of inferences which may be drawn will be of value and interest. Effect of Direction of Drawing In 1928 some work was done on hard-drawn copper wires to determine whether wire drawn in a continuous machine (that is, all in one direction) would have a different structure from wire that had a reversal in direction at some stage of the drawing process. The diffraction spectra obtained indicated that as the position of the wire rayed approached the core, a preferential crystal orientation existed, and that the closer to the core the more preferred was the orientation. The data obtained partly corroborated the work done by Schmidt and Wassermanl and by Clark.2 Samples Used in Following Investigation The samples selected for use in both the diffraction work and the resistivity measurements were taken from Nos. 6, 8, 10 and 12 gage

Jan 1, 1930

By C. E. Gerity

Near Bunker, Mo., in the New Lead Belt, Ozark Lead Co. operates a 6000 tpd lead-zinc mine. Mined ore is transported to the surface in three mechanized and automated steps. The mine is developed by a rectangular-shaped sublevel haulage drift 15 ft high by 28 ft wide, driven on strike below the ore zones. Ore transfer raises were driven from the sublevel at locations near the shaft, 1500 ft distant, and on subsequent 1000 ft centers. These 6 x 5-ft raises are slashed to obtain maximum storage below dump points. These dump points are located on each mining level and are of steel and concrete construction. Spiral 12 X 24-ft inclines driven from the sub-level provide access to these levels for equipment and mine utilities.

Jan 11, 1972

By D. M. James, J. C. Martin

The results are presented of a study of the application of analytical methods to the solution of two-phase flow into single wells. Approximate analytical expressions for the pressure distribution in two-phase flow are found ;;; a number of conditions. The results obtained from the analytical solutions me found to be in good agreement with results obtained by finite difference techniques using a high speed digital computer. Mathematical solutions for four sets of boundary conditions are presented. All of these solutions are composed of a short-term transient plus a steady or quasi-steady state. The rates of decay of the short-lived transients are analyzed. It is found that the durations of the short-term transients may be characterized by a parameter defined as the time constant which can be determined from simple relations. It is shown also that if the outer radius is much greater than the radius of the well. the short term transients decay at rates which are proportional to the square of the exterior radius, and the rates of decay are only slightly dependent upon the radius ratio. Numerical solutions based on finite difference techniques are presented for a number of conditions. The numerical solutions are in good agreement with the predictions based on the theoretical analysis for small and moderate drawdowns. Examples involving large drawdowns indicate that the nonlinearities in the equations of flow do not appreciably alter the longevity of the short-term transients. In all cases the time required for the short-tern transients to disappear is predicted satisfactorily. INTRODUCTION The mechanism by which oil and gas flow into a single well is of vital interest to the petroleum industry. The fundamental equations of two-phase flow which describe this mechanism are nonlinear partial differential equations. Numerical solutions of these equations describing pressure transients have been obtained with the aid of electronic computers. Although solutions obtained in this manner take into account a large number of effects, the reduction of this information to useful generalities is difficult. One method of obtaining generalities is the use of linearized approximations of the nonlinear equations. Since it is possible to obtain explicit solutions of the linearized equation, general properties of the role of pressure in the flow mechanism may be ascertained. Results obtained from this approach are limited to some extent by the linearizing assumptions. The severity of these limitations may be evaluated by comparing solutions of the linear equation with numerical solutions of the more exact nonlinear equations of two-phase flow. In the past considerable amount of work has been devoted to studying pressure build-up using the single-phase flow theory. Unfortunate1y, most prep sure build-up tests involve multiphase flow. A small amount of work has been done studying pressure build-up where the flow is two-phase. The encouraging results of these studies suggest that useful results may be found from additional studies of not only pressure build-up, but also the rapid transients associated with placing a well on production. This paper presents the basic theory of the pressure transients associated with placing a well on production and with closing it in. The paper is concerned chiefly with two-phase compressible flow; however, the results also apply to single-phase flow. The results are based on analytical solutions of the flow equations, and they are verified by numerical solutions using finite difference techniques. Much of the previous work on compressible flow into wells has been confined to single-phase flow. Some work has been done on compressible two-phase steady state flow, and solutions of the equations of flow have been found by finite difference techniques using high-speed computers. Muskat1 presents some rather general solutions to the equations of single-phase compressible flow into wells. Much work has been done on pressure build-up in wells (see, for example, Refs. 2-6). Almost all of the work on pressure build-up concerns single-phase flow with the exception of Ref. 5 and part of Ref. 2. Some work has been done on pressure fall-off in injection wells.718 Muskat9 presents the solution of the equations for radial steady state two-phase compressible flow. Handyl0 extends Muskat's solution to obtain

By Henry M. Howe

A discussion of the paper published in Bi-Monthly Bulletin, No. 20, March, 1908, pp. 227 to 237, and No. 22, July, 1908, pp. 615 to 620. PROF. HENRY M. HOWE, New York, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary *) :-Mr. Hibbard's definition of steel would be the best yet offered were it not for its one defect, the vagueness or equivocalness of "fusion-process." Puddling is surely in one sense a fusion-process, and so are the charcoal-hearth or knobbling-processes. But what he says suggests the following definition, which seems to me a good one: " Steel: any variety of iron which is usefully malleable at least at some one temperature, and is either cast when molten into a malleable mass, or if not so cast can be much hardened by sudden cooling." It is not necessary in a definition that quantitative bounds should be set up, for instance, that the exact height at which dwarf apple-trees cease and standards begin, or at which hills cease and mountains begin, should be stated. These quantitative measures are proper for specifications and contracts, but are not necessary for purposes such as the present. HENRY D. HIBBARD, Plainfield, N. J. (communication to the Secretary t) :-Professor Howe's criticisms of my definition of steel are not, it seems to me, well founded, for the . following reasons: The term "fusion-process" has been used during the past quarter or half century to distinguish the crucible, Bessemer and Siemens-Martin processes from the puddling- and cementation-processes, and probably no one at all conversant with the art of iron-metallurgy would now mistake its meaning. Moreover, no steel-metallurgist is in doubt of the meaning of the term "hardened? as applied to steel. If it were really necessary to describe what is meant by the term then it would

Nov 1, 1908

By E. F. Adkins, R. W. Douglas

The variation of the spectral emissivity of osmium and ruthenium with temperature can be expressed by the following relations: DURING a study of the sintering characteristics of osmium and ruthenium, discrepancies in the previously accepted melting points of the metals were noted. The melting temperatures had not been measured at the time of the work, but were estimated in the literature as 2700°C for osmium and 2450°C for ruthenium.' A recent investigation by Baird2 has shown the melting temperatures of osmium and ruthenium are 3000" and 2250° C, respectively. In the present work, osmium bars sintered at temperatures as high as 2900° C showed no evidence of melting, whereas ruthenium showed definite evidence of melting at temperatures as low as 2250°C. In view of the apparent discrepancies, the melting temperatures of both metals were determined. The spectral emissivities of both metals were determined as an aid to studies of the sintering characteristics of these metals. MATERIALS AND PROCEDURES The materials used in these studies were metal powders supplied by Englehard Industries, Inc., through the courtesy of The International Nickel Co. Analytical data from three laboratories, although not in complete agreement as to the purity of the material or the major impurity elements, indicated that the maximum impurity levels were 0.5 and 1.0 wt pct in osmium and ruthenium, respectively. The metal powders were pressed to 1/4 by 1/4 by 6-in. bars at 20Tsi using carbon tetrachloride as a lubricant. The pressed bars were presintered 1 hr at 1200°C after heating 1 hr at 400°C. The presintered densities of the several bars of the metals ranged from 65 to 80 pct of ideal density. Specimens were self-resistance heated in a vacuum sintering bell. Temperatures were measured with an L&N, disappearing filament optical pyrometer. True temperatures were read at the base of an 0.30-in.-diam, 0.150-in. deep hole drilled into the center of a presintered bar. Apparent temperatures were read from the surface of the bar adjacent to the hole. MELTING POINT DETERMINATION The melting temperature of the metals was determined as the temperature at which a slight additional increase in current through the specimen resulted in a reduced temperature at the base of the hole. The apparent reduction in temperature is a result of the liquid metal filling the hole, thus altering the black-body conditions. The melting points of osmium and ruthenium, based on three deter-

Jan 1, 1962

By W. M. Myers

Certain minerals possess inherent color and other properties that make them suitable for the pigmentation of paints, mortar, plaster, concrete, face brick, and other materials. Their production is one of the most ancient of mineral industries and their use by primitive man is well known. These natural pigments have some economic factors in their favor, particularly wide geographic distribution, low cost of production, ease of preparation, chemical stability, and permanence in use so that they continue to form the basis of a small but useful industry. When used in paints such pigments act as a filler and supply body and opacity in addition to color. Natural mineral pigments are prepared for the market by the comparatively simple operations of washing, grinding, blending, and calcining. Any one, or all of these processes may be applied to a single pigment. The development of synthetic pigments and the use of by- product materials have introduced competition with the products of nature and are having a growing influence on the economic position of the mined minerals.

Jan 1, 1949

By J. R. Kyte, L. A. Rapoport

The material balance equation for partiai or complete 1:trter-drivc reser1,oir.s been re-arranged to include a pressure irrferferencr ternr. This pressure interfernce term was ohtained from the theory established hy Morinda. A .successful progranl deissed to solve the resrclritlg c,qrration in a few hours on a nleelitr .sizeti, digital compuier. No prior knowdelge of the properties of the eqrrifer is required in the solution. 7' ri~rl calculations areatle using various assumed con!binuiions of value of the constant expretsing the qquifer properties correspoinds to the best fit ohtained between observed and calculated field history. Details of the method of calculaion are illus trated by an example. INTKCDUCTICN A method 01' calculating the material balance equation for a partial water-drive reservoir completed in an aquifer has been described in the literature." Pressure interference i'rc,m other pools iocated in the same nquiucr is not taken into account in this solution. When present, the pres- sure interference effect must be included in order to make a complete performance analysis. A correction for this effect has been developed using the theory cstahlished by Mor-tada.' Manual calculation of the material balance for water-drive reservoirs is a formidable task. Such manual ca1culation when interference eflects are includcd would be impossible to completc in any reasonable time period. However, a medium-sized stored program, digltal conlputer can he used satisfactorily. The method is described in the following sections. THECKETICAL CONSIDEKATIOhS The material balance equation for a reservoir producing by partial or total water drive, as proposed by Van Everdingen, This relationship is linear for Z/a from which thc slopc, Z, and the intercept, N, can be obtained by the least-squares method from the data points. It is not necessary lo know the aquifer properties to uktain oplimum values tor 2nd IV. Various assumptions are made tor At,,: where 11 is production time, seconds (oilfield between the equal successive time intervals into which the history is divided. t,, h It, times the number of equal time periods from i.e.. the total dimen-sionless time interval from It is noted that the dinlensionless time interval, At,,, involves all the relevant aquifer properties. Accordingly, any assunlption of is an assumption of the combined aquifer properties which pertain to the solution of the equation. Deviations of the data points from a straight line arc calculated for each assumption of and the value of A, correspond ing to the minimunl deviation is chosen as the optimum solution. This method is described in Ref. 1 and 2. Thc material balance solution is usually made with an initial assumption that the reservoir being studied is located in an infinite aquifer from which there are no other withdrawals. Deviation of the points by amounts greater than can be attributed to inaccuracies in field data may be the result of: (1) boundary effects of a limited aquifer, (2) pressure interference from othcr pools completed in the .sarne aquifer, and (3) a combination of these effects. Differentiation of these effects can be made only on the basis of geologic data. Pressure interference from other fields will result in a pressure drop at the original oil-water boundary having an interference component, The measured instantaneous pressure drops at the oil-water

By F. G. BREYER

ZINC metallurgists continue to follow with keen interest reports of successful results from the continuous retort plants at Palmerton, Pa., and Meadowbrook. W. Va. The new process had already demonstrated its ability to reduce the lead content of the metal and to effect savings in labor and fuel. The past year has shown that the retorts themselves can he built to last long enough so that the retort cost per ton of metal is lower than in past practice with small horizontal re- torts. A number of the latest type of retorts are reported to have been in continuous operation for over 18 months without a failure and are said to be still in good condition. This seems a complete answer to the last question which remained before continuous zinc smelting could he pronounced commercially practicable.

Jan 1, 1932

By N. R. Morrow, C. C. Harris

The experimental points which describe capillary pressure curves are determined at apparent equilibria which are observed after bydrodynamic flow has ceased. For most systems, the time required to obtain equalization of pressure throughout the discontinuous part of a phase is prohibitive. To permit experimental points to be described as equilibria, a model of capillary behavior is proposed where mass transfer is restricted to bulk fluid flow. Model capillary pressure curves follow if the path described by such points is independent of the rate at which the saturation was changed to attain a capillary pressure point. Aemodified suction potential technique is used to study cyclic relationships between capillary pressure and moisture content for a porous mass. The time taken to complete an experiment was greatly reduced by using small samples. INTRODUCTION Capillary retention of liquid by porous materials has been investigated in the fields of hydrology,l soil science,2 oil reservoir engineering,3 chemical engineering," soil mechanics,5 textiles: paper making: and building materials In studies of the immiscible displacement of one fluid by another within a porous bed, drainage columnsl and suction potential techniques2 have been used to obtain relationships between pressure deficiency and saturation (Fig. 1). Except where there is no hysteresis of contact angle and the solid is of simple geometry, such as a tube of uniform cross section, there is hysteresis in the relationship between capillary pressure and saturation.2 The relationship which has received most attention is displacement of fluid from an initially saturated bed (Fig. 1, Curve R2), the final condition being an irreducible minimum fluid saturation Swr. Imbibition (Fig. 1, Curve A), further desaturation (Fig. 1, Curve R), and intermediate scanning curves have been studied to a lesser but increasing extent.2 ,3,9-12 This paper first considers the nature of the experimental points tracing the capillary pressure curves with respect to the modes and rates of mass transfer which are operative during the course of measurement. There are clear indications that the experimental points which describe these curves are obtained at apparent equilibria which are observed when viscous fluid flow has ceased; and any further changes in the fluid distribution are the result of much slower mass transfer processes, such as diffusion. Unless stated otherwise, this discussion applies to a stable packing of equal, smooth, hydrophilic spheres supported by a suction plate5 with water as the wetting phase and air as the nonwetting phase. The discussion can also be applied, in many

Jan 1, 1966

By R. K. Govila, E. H. Parkison

THE interplanar angles for hcp metals vary with c/a ratio, and therefore must be computed separately for each particular metal or alloy. Manual computation of these angles is laborious and time consuming, and for this reason computer programs have been developed to accomplish this task.1"3 However, these programs have certain disadvantages. For example, they require prior knowledge and understanding of ALGOL or FORTRAN languages. Further, they will not print out specific angles but instead give all angles between given limits—thus program2 prints out a total of 26,649 angles between planes with indices and in the range from (4 4 4) to (4 4 4) for any given c/a ratio. The purpose of this note is to present a simple and inexpensive computer program for accomplishing this task. This program is written in BASIC language4 which does not require any prior knowledge of computer programming, and is ideally suited for nonprofessional programmers. It also provides flexibility for the user by allowing him to select any indices for as many or few planes as desired for any given c/a ratio. The computer program proposed below is based on the relationship in which + is the angle between any two planes and . TO illustrate use of the program, consider the problem of calculating the interplanar an-

Jan 1, 1970

TENDENCIES toward nationalization grew noticeably stronger in some areas. Late last fall Bolivia took over the tin mines of four foreign operators and handed them a bill for a fabulous amount claimed for damages. In the same breath, the price Bolivia offered to pay for the mines appeared to many to be slightly ridiculous. Many engineers felt that the country would not be able to run the mines successfully. Even if they could, some thought that the Bolivian Government would gut the orebodies in an attempt to get at rich deposits for high profits, leaving the lean ores in unmineable condition.

Jan 2, 1953

By W. L. Zeigler

During the middle 1880's, shortly after the discovery of silver-lead ores in the Coeur d'Alene district of northern Idaho, it became apparent that concentration of the ores would be necessary to obtain a profitable product. Too much siliceous material was present for direct smelting, and the majority of the ores found at depth were too low in metallic content for economic smelting processes at the time. As the ores occurred in quartzite shear zones with siderite and quartz gangue, a large quantity of waste material was present in all the mines. As the galena was not finely disseminated, this made possible relatively good extraction of the argentiferous galena by coarse concentration. The first concentrators consisted mainly of coarse crushing, screening and jigging, principally by Harz jigs, the slimes being treated on buddles. Later Wilfley tables took the place of sand jigs and vanners superseded the buddles. Because of the marketing conditions, no attempt was made until 1900 to effect a recovery on the zinc minerals present, which were found associated in varying amounts with the galena. All through this period, the greater part of the production was obtained from mines containing ore assaying high in lead and low in zinc. Parts of some ore bodies would be reversed in this respect, so that ores high in zinc were left intact. During the decade after 1910, several important mines, The Success and The Interstate Callahan, containing ores high in zinc, were put into operation and were a material aid in the needed zinc production during World War I. Gravity concentration by jigs and tables was used during this period, with bulk flotation increasing in popularity for the treatment of the fine material that had already been treated by ordinary slime concentrating machinery. No extra fine grinding for flotation concentration was thought profitable at the time. Tailings Discharged into Streams From the start of mining and milling operations in this district until 1904, no attempt was made by the various mills in the upper district to impound or stack their tailings. They discharged them directly into the adjacent creeks or streams, to be carried away by high water. The Bunker Hill and Sullivan and the Last Chance mines, both in the relatively flat valley of the district, stacked huge piles of the coarse jig tailings on the near-by river bottom. Rain and snowfall are heavy in the Coeur d'Alene district, as it is on the heavily timbered Pacific slope of the Bitter Root Mountains. A heavy runoff occurs every spring and there is an occasional flood of disastrous proportions when warm "Chinook" winds accompanied by rain

Jan 1, 1949