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By W. L. Saunders

WHEN work was begun in September, 1910, on the rock excavation for the foundation of the gigantic dam at Valhalla, N. Y., which is to convert Kensico lake into an important storage reservoir of the Catskill Aqueduct system, one of the first steps taken by the contractor, H. S. Kerbaugh, Inc., was the development of a quarry to supply the stone needed in the construction work.The importance of a bountiful supply of suitable rock in an accessible location is apparent when it is considered that nearly a million cubic yards of cyclopean masonry will be contained in the completed structure, not to mention dimension and facing stones, concrete blocks, and mass concrete. The dam structure will be over 1800 ft. long and about 170 ft. above the present river bed. However, for a distance of some 800 ft., it will be carried down to solid ledge rock, which will make the finished structure about 300 ft. in maximum height. It will be about 200 ft. thick at the base and directly beneath the coping it will be 28 ft. thick. This dam will raise the reservoir surface 110 ft. above old Kensico lake. The reservoir capacity will be 29,000,000,000 gal.-equal to New York's total needs for over two months. The contract price for this work is nearly $8,000,000 and is second only in amount to the cost, over $12,600,000, of the Ashokan Reservoir work. Fig. 1 is a view of the dam site.

Jan 2, 1914

By Ivan E. Goodner, Charles H. Fulton

THE subject of the constitution of copper-iron mattes has received considerable attention in recent years by Keller,1 Bolles,2 Hofman,3 and Gibb and Philp.4 Still more recently Friedrich, Röntgen, Wiedmann, Heyn and Bauer, and Leroux have published, in some instances, elaborate researches on the various systems of the sulphides, and the sulphides and their respective metals, which enter into the constitution of mattes, and have added very greatly to the knowledge of the subject. The work of Friedrich has been especially fruitful. But to date no effort has been made to correlate the data obtained in the latter researches and apply then to the study of the product called " matte," which is made in such large quantities by copper and lead-smelters. In this paper we propose to determine, by metallographic and chemical means, the constitution of copper-iron and copper-lead mattes in the light of the recent data above mentioned. We do not discuss copper-nickel mattes or speisses (artificial arsenides). The paper is divided into three sections I. A review and discussion of the various binary systems of the metallic, sulphides, and the binary systems of various metals and their respective sulphides entering into the constitution of mattes; also a discussion of the physical and chemical properties of these sulphides. II. A description of the results obtained from the chemical and metallographic examinations of the samples of copper-iron and copper-lead-iron matte obtained from various plants.

Nov 1, 1908

Jan 1, 1969

By K. C. Mills, E. T. Turkdogan

A number of investigators1 6 have noted the presence of a liquid miscibility gap in the Fe-Sn binary system. However, the first attempt to measure the

Jan 1, 1964

By R. J. Stokes

S. Floreen (international Nickel Co.)— One fairly simple way to differentiate between em brittle me nt due to surface microcracks or due to a dislocation barrier effect might be to load a brittle rock salt crystal in tension to some stress just below the fracture stress and then immerse the loaded crystal in water. If a surface film is retarding plastic flow then one should observe some plastic deformation of the rock salt as

Jan 1, 1962

By P. B. Baxendell

The appraial of producing properties and profitability ntzalysis of a proposed capital expenditure are based on the same principles. In both problems a projection of future cash income is. cornpared to one or more capital expenditures. Several different methods have been in use either to compute a price to obtain a given earning power on the investment or to compute the earning power which will result from a given capital expenditure. One of these, the "Average Annual Rate of Return" method, computes in a simple manner the ratio of the present value of the future earnings after amortization to the present value of the undepreciated balances of the investment over the life of a project. This method, not well known generally, appears to have some rather unique advantages in reducing the computation work required, eliminating trial-and-error solutions, and providing a more accurate answer when applied to oil industry investments subject to the unit-of-production basis of amortization. Its derivation is given and its versatility demonstrated in the solution of certain everyday investment problems. A number of charts, useful in applying this method to profitability analysis and appraisal work, are provided. The current trend in the market values of producing properties is shown. INTRODUCTION Making sound capital expenditure decisions requires an objective means of measuring the productivity of individual investment proposals. Since the best measure of the economic worth of such proposals is their ability to produce profits, it is common practice to grade proposed capital expenditures according to their annual earning power as a percentage of the outstanding capital. The same principles which govern the determination of the rate of return of proposed capital expenditures also apply generally to the problem of determining the appraisal value or purchase price of income-producing oil and gas properties. Both problems are of prime importance in the producing phase of the oil business, where management is faced daily with decisions to drill or not to drill certain development wells, or with the determination of the appraisal value of producing properties. The common feature in both problems is that a projection of future cash income is compared with a known or estimated capital investment to determine itsiearning power or annual rate of return. In the case of development drilling, the cost of the proposed well can usually be estimated with a fair degree of accuracy and the problem consists of finding the rate of return on the invested capital. In the case of appraising producing properties, on the other hand, the desired rate of return is usually known in advance and the problem consists of determining the purchase price which, for the given income projection, results in the fequired rate of return. Certain accounting procedures common to the oil and gas producing business make these two problems and their solutions somewhat different from corresponding problems in other industries, and, in certain ways, simpler. The main difference is in the amortization policy which, for oil and gas production, is frequently on a unit-of-production basis, compared to the amortization on a time basis used in many other industries. The purpose of this paper is to discuss briefly the various methods currently in use for the measurement of productivity of invested capital in producing properties and, in more detail, the derivation and application of what will be called the "Average Annual Rate of Return Method". This rather interesting and not too well known method has some very definite advantages in the solution of many problems common to the oil industry. For the sake of simplicity, federal income tax considerations have been disregarded in the examples used, since they do not affect the principles involved. The use of the production payment route in the sale or purchase of producing properties, which has been amply covered in many other publications, has also not been included in this analysis. METHODS FOK MEASUKING THE EARNING POWER OF INVESTED CAPITAL, Of the many different methods used to measure the earning power of invested capital, four are applicable to oil or gas production ventures. Depending on whether these four methods utilize one or two interest rates, and whether a fixed amortization pattern is used, they may be classified as follows.

Low Zinc Prices Close Alcoa Mine Alcoa Mining Co., announced that it will suspend operations at its Hutson mine, near Salem, Ky., because of low zinc prices, January 15. The Aluminum Co. of America subsidiary announced that the low market has made zinc mining un- profitable. About 70 men were employed at the mine, with a production of about 5000 tons of zinc annually. Alcoa said the shutdown would not affect other company operations, with most of the men at Hutson absorbed in the mining firm's fluorspar operations in the same area.

Jan 2, 1953

By H. Linder, W. H. Dennen

The graphitic carbon content of soils may be used to detect and delimit subsurface graphitic zones. Spectrographic measurement of carbon in C horizon soils from several areas in the northeastern United States shows good correlation with known graphitic bodies. Bodies of graphite and sulfides are readily located by electromagnetic prospecting methods, but these methods cannot generally discriminate between them. Usual practice, therefore, requires follow-up work on electrically anomalous areas by trenching, drilling, or soil sampling in order to determine the mineralogical nature of the conductor. The efficiency and cost of such follow-up is consequently an important factor in prospecting. The presence of buried sulfide deposits is often reflected in concentrations of metals in the superincumbent soil. Simple chemical tests for such metal concentrations have been developed and applied with considerable success. Bodies of graphite or mixtures of graphite and sulfides are, however, very common and a means whereby buried graphite could be detected by soil testing should provide valuable additional information in the search for ore sulfide and graphite deposits. Graphite is a notably stable substance and should persist in soil above graphite-rich horizons. Microscopic examination of soil samples high in carbon, however, failed to reveal any recognizable graphite fragments indicating a grain size in the clay range. Presumably such small particles would have some mobility in a soil by a translocation mechanism similar to that proposed for the movement of clay particles in a soil profile. Experimental data supports this idea since the boundary between background and anomalous soils carbon values is quite sharp, but the anomalous zone is slightly broader than the graphitic source rock. A simple spectrochemical technique for the determination of carbon in geological materials has been described by Dennen,1 and may be directly applied to soils. A modification of this technique which employs an arcing chamber through which nitrogen is passed is recommended to decrease contributions from atmospheric carbon dioxide. Tests indicate that soils over graphitic zones may be strongly enriched in carbon. The spectrochemical determination of carbon depends upon the formation of the cyanogen molecule (CN) from carbon in a sample and atmospheric nitrogen, under the high temperatures associated with a dc arc. Samples for analysis are dried, lumps broken, and screened. A small portion of the -100 mesh fraction is packed into a copper electrode and excited as the cathode of a dc arc. The band spectra of cyanogen are recorded photographically and the density of the bandhead CN 3883A is measured. The limit of detection of the method is about 0.01 pct C and its coefficient of variation is about 15 pct. Soils, of course, contain carbon in other forms than graphite, and the amount of interference from such sources was examined. The C horizon of several soils from Massachusetts, Maine, and Pennsylvania were found to have a carbon content of 0.3 to 0.5 pct by weight. This content is chiefly due to the presence of carbonates and vegetable matter in the sample and may be readily eliminated, or at least

Jan 1, 1961

Jan 1, 1968

Jan 1, 1968

By M. R. J. Wyllie, Michael A. Torcaso

With the continued deep drilling of today, increasing numbers of high pressure and high temperature gas-condensate reservoirs are being discovered. Correspondingly, the ranges of properties of gas-condensate reservoir fluids are also being increased. The literature1*'." contains several excellent reviews of the property ranges in presently known condensate reservoirs. When one examines these property ranges, it becomes apparent that the need for reliable data is great if the engineer is to evaluate properly or appraise a gas-condensate reservoir. It is the purpose of this paper to present phase-behavior data that will point out some of the important variables that influence recovery from gas-condensate reservoirs produced by pressure depletion. All these variables may be resolved into two major categories: the hydroc:arbon composition of the reservoir fluid and the physical properties of the reservoir. But the variables which we will consider are those which are usually determined from well tests shortly after discovery and are, consequently, readily available to the engineer. They are as follows: (1) the producing separator gas-stock-tank liquid ratio, (2) stock-tank liquid gravity, and (3) reservoir temperature. Laboratory depletion studies have been performed on several reservoir fluids to illustrate the effect of changes in the cronsidered variables upon ultimate recoveries. The deviation factors, Z, of a series of reservoir fluids were determined experimentally to illustrate their order of magnitude and their effect upon the calculation of in-place reserves existing at high pressurcs and temperatures. The procedures followed in conjunction with the performance of these studies and their associated calculations are illustrated in Fig. 1. For the purpose of this paper, the depletion recoveries are expressed only in terms of pcr cent of initial stock-tank liquid, with the abandonment pressure assumed to be 500 psig. VARIATION OF RECOVERY WITH INITIAL PRODUCING SEPARATOR GAS-STOCK-TANK LIQUID RATIO The producing separator gas-stock-tank liquid ratio has long been one of the principal criteria in assumptions and generalized correlations' used for the estimation of ultimate recovery from gas-condensate reservoirs. Fig. 2 presents a plot of the cumulative recovery of stock-tank liquid at abandonment as a function of the initial producing separator gas-stock-tank liquid ratio. The graphical illustration represents the results of 44 laboratory depletion studies performed on actual gas-condensate fluids. These data are presented not only to illustrate the general trend of ultimate recovery increase with initial producing ratio increase but to emphasize the considerable variation in possible recovery at any given producing ratio. Table 1 presents the properties of two actual reservoir fluids chosen to illustrate the approximate extremities of producing ratios for gas-condensate systems. The fluids designated as A and B exhibited initial producing ratios of 3,400 and 114,000 scf/bbl, respectively. Fig. 3 presents a graphical comparison of the cumulative stock-tank liquid recoveries, calculated from the well-stream compositions and produced volumes for each fluid during depletion. It is to be noted that Fluid A exhibited a recovery of only 16.5 per cent when produced to an assumed abandonment pressure of 500 psig while the corresponding recovery for Fluid B was calculated to be 62.2 per cent. This difference in recovery, which exemplifies the general trend of recovery increase with initial producing ratio increase, is readily explained by consid-

By P. Niessen, W. C. Winegard, C. J. Beingessner

DURING the last 10 years, several grain-growth studies have been made using zone-refined metals with controlled amounts of solute to elucidate the interaction of solute with moving boundaries. In all these studies, it was more or less implicitly assumed that the alloys used were, after recrystallization and grain growth, homogeneous within the grains with respect to solute and lattice defects. This note deals with observations made on microstructures originating from solidification of dilute alloys and from grain growth. Briefly, the experimental procedure used in these studies was the following: zone-refined cadmium and master alloys were melted and cast in Pyrex under vacuum to produce bars 14 mm in diam and about 150 mm long. These bars were cut into 8-mm-thick slices which were mechanically and chemically polished. The specimens were then deformed 30 pct in compression and given a 1-week anneal at 260°C in argon. After this anneal, a second deformation produced completely recrystallized samples 4 mm thick. The time-temperature controlled anneals were carried out in a bath of silicone oil. After the grain-growth anneal, the specimens were polished in Gil-man's' solution (33 g CrOs, 6 g NazSO, in 100 ml of water). Several etches were used depending on the alloy investigated, but mostly a mixture of concentrated HC1 and HNOj (98:2 vol) was employed. In all the alloys examined, the ease with which substructures could be revealed depended strongly on the crystallographic orientation of the surfaces of the grains. However, very frequently the microstructures to be discussed here etched up over broad areas comprising several grains. Fig. 1 is a micrograph of a Cd-0.05 at. pct Mg alloy annealed for 100 sec at 270°C. Different substructures are seen in this photograph. A denotes the now existing grain boundaries. The well-defined lines and points marked B are the remains of a solidification substructure. The lines are boundaries between cell colonies, and the points are nodes located on regular two-dimensional cells. This cellular structure has the same appearance as that found by weinberg2 for rapidly quenched Zn-Au alloys. The "ghost boundaries", marked C, are very similar in appearance to a grain boundary array in a polycrystalline sample. Repeated polishing and etching showed that all the substructures observed were three-dimensional. To date, the ghost boundaries have been clearly observed in all samples containing 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, and 1 at. pct Mg, and in samples containing 0.01 at. pct Zn. Attempts to outline these ghost boundaries in cadmium alloys containing 0.01 at. pct Ag and Au were only partially successful. In these alloys, parallel lines, having a resemblance to the ghost boundaries in the Cd-Mg and Cd-Zn alloys, were observed, but it was not possible to obtain complete arrays of ghost boundaries which extended over several grains. It is possible that a different etch than that presently employed would reveal the ghost boundaries in the Cd-Au and Cd-Ag alloys as clearly as in the Cd-Zn and Cd-Mg alloys. A close examination of the ghost structure showed that it consisted of linear etch-pit arrays, Fig. 2. The ghost boundaries were resolvable even in grains which showed over-all faceting due to the etching, as seen in the corner of Fig. 2. The general appearance of the ghost structure suggests that it originated during grain growth. This is supported by the observation that the mesh width in the ghost-boundary array generally increased with increasing final grain size. To test whether the ghost structure was formed during the long homogenizing anneal or during the grain-growth anneal, some as-cast samples were deformed and given a grain-growth anneal. This anneal was terminated by air cooling or

Jan 1, 1967

By Johannes Moeljono, Werner Wenzel, Heinrich Wilhelm Gudenhau

As an important mechanism for increasing production of the suction-draft-sinter process, it has been shown that gas permeability through the sinter layer plays an important role. Methods to increase production rates have been indicated and suggestions for carrying out the process have been made to improve the rate of production, reduce the fuel consumption, and at the same time obtain a uniform sinter. Laboratory experiments were conducted at the Institute for Ferrous Metallurgy of the Technical University at Aachen to illustrate these methods. Methods of Increasing Gas Penetration Through Sinter Layers The following are of fundamental importance in determining the process cycle during the sintering of iron ores: 1) Generation of maximum temperature, since its form and range determine sinter quality. 2) Propagation velocity of the temperature maximum which controls the attainable output. 3) The convective heat transfer which influences the velocity of travel of the temperature maximum.

Jan 1, 1974

By F. D. Wright, H. D. Fara

The solution to the plastic and elastic stresses around a circular shaft in a hydrostatic stress field that has appeared in two editions of a widely used book on rock mechanics1 is in error. Although this is a relatively minor matter, the correct solution was not found by a literature survey, so it appears worthwhile to present it. For a homogeneous, isotropic, rigid plastic-elastic body in plane strain which obeys Tresca's yield criterion the following equations must be satisfied:'," In the plastic zone,

Jan 1, 1963

By Enrique Touceda

FOR a number of years prior to the world war, the firm of Geo. H. Thacher & Co., of Albany, N. Y., was engaged in the manufacture of marine and other gray-iron castings. At -the outbreak of the war the firm decided to specialize in the manufacture f propeller wheels. It attacked the problem, therefore, from a foundry point of view, seeking to produce a casting that would be so accurate that no subsequent machining would be required on the blades, also from the point of view of the ship builder. There were two general methods f manufacture, the shortcomings of which have been freely acknowledged. In the sweep method, the nowel, or bottom half-mold, for each blade is swept up by a spindle beam and pitch race, while the top half-mold for each blade is built up individually. In the pattern method one individual blade, with the hub or hub portion, is mounted on a spindle and the individual -blade mold formed, the pattern is then rotated on the spindle to the position- for the next blade, etc. In rare cases wheels were made from a solid pattern. Owing to the cost of the pattern, its failure in many instances to be correctly made, and (when made of wood) its early and sure distortion the disadvantage of this practice is obvious, while metal patterns in most instances were prohibitive in cost. In these methods both green-sand and loam molding was practiced. The casting produced by either method can be considered only as a blank from which the propeller must be machined. The back surface f each blade must be chipped too the templet and through this procedure chipped to such accuracy, as will be required for a static balance. Inasmuch as the' work done by the machine tool is confined to the driving face of the blades, not only is perfection most difficult, but corrosion will be greater because of the removal of the dense skin f the casting and the local strains set up by the pneumatic tool in chipping. To produce a finished 9-ft. propeller for a Navy destroyer required from 8 to 21 days f foundry work and about the same length of, time for the machining. Through the use f the Thacher process, only as many hours are required, besides it is possible to produce a finished casting in perfect conformity, with any particular propeller-wheel design,

Jan 4, 1921

By Martin G. Castro, Renato G. Bautista, Morton Smutz

During the last 25 years, multistage mixer-settlers have been used extensively for liquid ion exchange work. The mixer-settler has the advantage of being a compact device in which a large number of stages can be assembled in a relatively small area. They are particularly advantageous for the separation of rare earths. Most of the adjacent rare earths have separation factors which are near one, which means that a large number of stages are needed to produce a good separation. When two elements (m, n) are extracted simultaneously, the separation factor (ßm, n) is defined as: [ ] where Ym, Yn are the molarities of the respective elements in the organic phase and Xm, Xn, are their molarities in the aqueous phase at equilibrium. The industrial consumption of rare earth oxides rose to over 6800 tons in 1968, an increase of 33% over 1967.1 The increased production and demand for rare earth and lanthanum chlorides for petroleum cracking catalysts was one of the principal factors in this increased consumption of rare earths. In 1968 approximately 59% of the rare earth oxides produced were used for gasoline cracking catalysts in the form of rare earth and lanthanum chlorides. There was also an increase in the sales of lanthanum oxides for use in optical lenses and in fiber optics. The future looks good for the rare earth industry. The rare earths can be expected to be used in many new products which are being developed. Until the late 1950's tributyl phosphate (TBP) was the principal solvent used in rare earth liquid ion exchange. In 1957 Peppard3 reported the use of di (2-ethyl-hexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) as a solvent for separating the rare earths. Rare earth separation factors of up to 2.5 were obtained in nitrate and chloride systems while the maximum separation factor using the

Jan 1, 1972

By R. G. Burdick, W. R. Peters

Shallow underground voids resulting from early coal mining and other resource recovery activities over the past several decades are now being recognized as a significant cause of ground subsidence problems. Uncertain knowledge of abondoned coal mines also imposes potential hazards in current underground mining operations, since water inundation or the release of methane gas is a serious hazard when mine excavation operations break into an abandoned mine. Requirements for detecting and mapping subversive manmade tunnels in previous work has led to the development of a surface-operated automatic earth resistivity survey system and associated computer data reduction process for military applications. Field demonstration tests of this system have resulted in successful detection of tunnels at depth-to-diameter ratios greater than 10 to one. Under the sponsorship of the Bureau of Mines, a similar high-resolution earth resistivity system was designed and constructed for use as a potential means of detecting abandoned coal mine workings. The hardware and software aspects of third new system are described together with applications of the method for surveying and mapping abandoned coal mine workings. Field tests are presented to illustrate the detection of both air-filled and water-filled mine workings.

Jan 1, 1984

By George Comstock

IT seems a common opinion among metallographists that all light-gray inclusions seen with the microscope in polished sections of steel are manganese sulphide. Examples of this belief are continually appearing, as for instance in the paper by Dr. Henry Fay on manganese sulphide as a source of danger in steel rails,1 and in Lieutenant-Commander Cook's paper on Metallography of Steel for U S. Naval Ordnance.2 Slate FIG. 1-TRANSVERSE VIEW OF THE EDGE OF A SMALL HOT-ROLLED STEEL ROD. ETCHED WITH PICRIC ACID. X 200. colored inclusions are considered to be silicates, and dove-gray inclusions, manganese sulphide. To show the danger in the latter unqualified assumption, it should be sufficient to examine the edge of any piece of steel that is covered with a fairly thick scale, and that has been polished in such a way as to prevent the scale from breaking away entirely below the polished surface. This can be done by protecting the scaled edge of

Jan 12, 1916

THE 125th meeting of the Institute was held in New York, Feb. 20-23, 1922, inclusive, and was the most successful annual meeting of the Institute ever held; there was a larger registration, there were more sessions of importance, and a greater number of sessions, than in any previous year. The total registration was 1331, comprising 351 New York members, 393 visiting members and 587 guests. At the annual business meeting of the Institute, held on Tuesday, Feb. 21, with President Ludlow presiding, there was a much larger attendance than usual. The report of the tellers was read and the following officers were declared elected: Arthur S. Dwight, Director and President-District 0 J. V. W. Reynders, Director and Vice-president-District 0 A. R. Ledoux, Director and Vice-president-District 0 Charles F. Rand. Director-District 0 George D. Barron, Director-District 0 William H. Bassett, Director-District 1 Thomas B. Stearns, Director-District 8 William Kelly, Director-District 5

Jan 3, 1922

By Ivan Simon, R. K. McConnell

Anticipating the availability of tiltmeters suitable for use in boreholes, this article proposes a method of using one or more of these meters to determine in situ stress distribution before and after mining operations. Several ways of using relief techniques to measure in situ stresses in rocks have been developed. These techniques, summarized by Merrill,1 involve measuring deformations which take place when a specimen of rock is wholly or partially isolated from the stress field in the surrounding rock. Measurements of rock deformation caused by stress relief from mining operations can, in principle, also be used to estimate in situ stress distributions. Müller2 has mentioned experiments being carried on in Austria with a "deformation indicator" to determine the tilting of holes drilled before a mine opening is made. Similar work using borehole extensometers has been reported by Potts? and Duvall4 has called attention to the possible use of tiltmeters in making these measurements. Considerable attention is now being paid to the use of tiltmeters in detecting rock deformation associated with fault movements, earthquakes, earth tides, etc. The instruments used for these measurements have usually been of the mercury tube, water tube, or quartz fiber type, but because of their large size, and/or fragile nature, such instruments would not be suitable for use in mining stress measurements. Recent instrumentation developments, however, give promise that rugged, sensitive tiltmeters small enough for use in boreholes may soon be available.' In anticipation of these developments, this article presents a number of calculations of the possibility of using one or more tiltmeters emplaced in a drill hole prior to mining operations to determine the in situ stress distribution both before and after a mining operation. Consider point p (x, z) near a tunnel of radius a

Jan 1, 1969