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By C. R. Dale

The need for instruments to measure the movement of fluids and gas in wells has been recognized by engineers for many years. Information regarding flow in the producing interval has a direct bearing on completion practices in new wells and also provides information on the production characteristics of the well. Many hours of engineering time are spent in planning and completing wells but knowledge as to whether or not the original planning has produced the desired results has not always been complete. Many questions such as the following often arise: Why is it that two wells are completed under supposedly identical conditions, yet one well is a good one and the other is a poor one? Are the sands that look the best on the electric log contributing to the production? These and many other conditions in the producing well need to be under- stood in order to develop more efficient production practices and to improve on methods of completing new wells. It is the purpose of this paper to briefly describe one type of instrument, outline the methods of running the equipment and show the results of surveys made under various conditions. With an understanding of the use of this type of survey its importance can be evaluated in relation to the problems encountered by the operator. DESCRIPTION OF INSTRUMENT The instrument is a velocity recorder employing a clock-controlled 16mm film for recording the rpm of an extremely sensitive rotor which is rotated by the flow of fluids or gas in a well. The helical-vaned rotor and shaft, weighing one-half of one ounce are an integral unit exposed to the well fluids and are the only moving parts not enclosed in the fluid-tight housing. No packing or fluid seal of these parts is necessary and the shaft is mounted top and bottom on special jeweled bearings. Fig. A is the lower part of the instrument showing rotor and shaft with the protecting housing sleeve removed. The rpm of the rotor is recorded on the moving film by a combination electrical and optical system. The record is a series of dashes on the film, each dash and space representing twenty (20) revolutions of the rotor. (Film record of survey made in California well showing station recordings at various depths.) As the movement of the film is controlled by the clock the number of dashes and spaces in one minute of film travel represents the rpm of the rotor. The range of the instrument is from 0 to 2,500 rprn. The barrel or housing is 1-11/16 in. OD and seven feet long. Various types of expanding fluid traps are attached to the lower end of the instrument to direct the flow through the 1 in. orifice containing the rotor. The fluid trap for upward flow is shown in Figs. B and C. This assembly consists of eight arms with light spring

Jan 1, 1949

By Jan Law

Problems of oil recovery are attacked from the approaches dictated by the two strikingly dissimilar complexes that comprise an oil reservoir—the fluid complex and the interstitial complex. Knowledge of the fluid complex, due to labors in the fields of fluid mechanics and physical chemistry, has far outdistanced knowledge of the interstitial characteristics of the sand complex. This paper is concerned with the latter and applies the technique of statistics to petrographic facts—namely, porosity and permeability—dealing with what might be called petrometry. Statisticians have long worked within the problem of reconstruction of a universe oi variables by means of samples that comprise a small percentage of the universe from which the samples were drawn. Core-analysis data comply with the requisite of random sampling as stipulated by theoretical statistics. A basic concept of statistics employs t.he following substitution: 1. The results of sampling are arranged as a frequency distribution. 2. The observed frequency distribution is compared with a mathematically precise distribution. 3. If a sufficiently good agreement is found between the two, the precise distribution is substituted in all subsequent operations involving characteristics of the sampled material. This mathematically precise distribution is also known as the normal curve, curve of error, the probability, the Gaussian, and the bell-shaped curve and is describable with but two figures. Further, these two figures, the arithmetic average and the standard deviation, are subject to mathematical manipulation. This paper demonstrates that, in some cases in the Dominguez field of Southern California, if sufficient core-analysis samples are taken over not too great a thickness of sediments, the resultant permeability and porosity assemblages give satisfactory agreement with ilormal curves. It is shown that the indications are strong that oil wells wherein a satisfactory agreement is found are predictable as to productivity. Since the predictions are made by employing the laws of chance that are operative within sedimentation, it follows that the mechanism by which the predictions were made is a basic concept of reservoir mechanics. Therefore, tentative examples are given of the application of normal curves to the solution of problems of primary and secondary recovery. Nature of Permeability Frequency Distributions Core-analysis data are made available as a tabulated depth vs. permeability profile. The nature of the distribution of permeability values within a given strati-graphic interval may be approximated from an array constructed with samples plotted in the order of their appearance with depth (accession number) against their permeability value in millidarcys. A wide variation in the nature of the distribution of K (permeability) values for

Jan 1, 1944

By R. P. Thomas

Secondary fertilizer minerals are the mineral materials used to supply directly and indirectly the secondary and trace plant food nutrient needs of a fertilizer. Since few soils contain sufficient availability of all plant nutrients for their proper growth, man has prepared mixtures of plant food materials to correct these nutrient deficiencies. These mixtures or fertilizers, when added correctly to a soil, make it possible for abundant and economic crop growth. Many kinds of materials are used as sources of these needed nutrients. They come from natural and synthetic materials and minerals including many beneficiated byproduct compounds. A fertilizer consists largely of carriers of one or more of the three major plant foods, namely nitrogen (N), phosphorus-phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) and potassium-potash (K2O). Many other nutrients are just as essential for plant growth as the three major plant foods. In fact, the efficient use of fertilizers today depends upon an adequate supply of all these other nutrients. Since these additional materials are usually removed from the soil by plants and supplied in fertilizer in less quantities than the major nutrients, they are called secondary and minor nutrients. In the early days these special nutrients were contained as impurities in the primary nutrient carriers. Today, fertilizers are made primarily from concentrated and synthetic materials which carry very few of these other essential nutrients. Consequently, many secondary and trace nutrient carriers, as salts, byproduct compounds and even minerals have to be added to fertilizers. Secondary Nutrient Carriers The secondary plant foods in fertilizer are next to the major nutrients in abundance. They are calcium, magnesium, sulfur, chlorine, silicon and sodium. Although many of these elements are added to a fertilizer as part of the major nutrient carriers, they are also added in special carriers. The large tonnage of these secondary nutrient carriers used in fertilizers represents only a small percentage of the total production of these materials. A fertilizer producer thinks in terms of materials which supply nutrients instead of minerals. Therefore, these materials will be discussed by elements. CALCIUM Soils need calcium to supply the nutrient needs of plants and maintain the desired physical and biological conditions in the soil. The available calcium is usually 40 to 80 pct of the exchangeable bases. (These bases are ones which can be displaced by other cations and determined quantitatively. They are then expressed as milliequivalents per hundred grams of soil-me.) Direct applications of lime materials such as burnt, ground or hydrated limes are the important sources of calcium for the soil. Most crops, especially legumes, have a high requirement for calcium. The average farmer does not use enough lime to maintain the proper level of available calcium. Hence, it is necessary for many fertilizers to contain soluble calcium materials for efficient use of the major nutrients. The following major nutrient carriers supply some calcium: calcium nitrate, ammonium nitrate mixtures and cyanamid, and many of the phosphates. Both synthetic and natural gypsum are used in fertilizer production. Some crops such as peanuts require a large amount of soluble calcium. Gypsum is the important supplier of this soluble calcium. It is not applied with the fertilizer

Jan 1, 1960

By Dan Crackel, G. G. Ramos, Mark Heisel

INTRODUCTION Feasibility studies indicated that a cratering type stoping method was best suited to the character of the first ore block at Carr Fork. This method known as vertical crater retreat (VCR) has since been modified to a combination cratering and deck blasting using VCR drop raises for initial undercut development . The modified form retains many of the advantages of VCR while allowing high tonnage production blasts which have offset many of the disadvantages. FIRST CONCEPTS AND PREMISES Geologic Considerations The Steep Highland Boy (SHB) skarn orebody, the first of several blocks being developed, is a steeply dipping 70° to 90° limb of a syncline, with a width averaging 25 m (82 ft). The bed has a consistent east-west strike length of over 400 m (1300 ft) and extends from the surface to depths of over 1000 m (3300 ft). The footwall is highly fractured quartzite and the hanging wall grades from garneti te to limes tone and hornfe 1s. Because of the limestone in the hanging wall, the hanging wall appears more competent than the footwall. The ore is garnetite with lenses of massive sulphide and magnetite. The quartzite footwall is highly fractured not only because of the bedding but also due to the folding and intrusion of the quartz monzonite. This irregular footwall outline of some stopes in- creases the likelihood of excessive dilution. The principal ore mineral is chalcopyrite with some bornite. The garnetite ore is quite variable in terms of compressive strength and drillability. In addition to the sulphide and magnetite lenses, it is transected by clay- altered dikes and major and minor north-east faults. TABLE (1) gives the range and mean strengths of the rocks. Investigating Mining Methods Initial consideration of a suitable mining method centered around maximum safety and efficiency with minimum potential dilution. The following major methods were considered and investigated. Cut and fill mining was eliminated because of low productivity, the cost and problems associated with providing fill, and the relatively unsafe nature of the method. Sublevel caving was rejected due to the unpredictable cavability of the waste and the geometry of the ore body. Conventional sublevel or blasthole methods require excessive development, as fan and ring drills are limited to efficient drilling in the 18 to 25 m range (60 to 80 ft). Mining downdip with equipment drilling small diameter holes would have required eight separate extraction/drill horizons with crosscuts and associated excavation in the main ore block. The use of down the hole (DTH) machines cap- able of drilling 165 m (6g in) diameter holes

Jan 1, 1981

By J. H. Frye, J. W. Caum

One of the most important methods of increasing the hardness of metals is alloying. In spite of the widespread use of alloys, the fundamental mechanism of alloy hardening is little understood. This is true even of the simplest form of alloy, the primary substitutional solid solution in which solute atoms substitute for solvent atoms at random in the crystal lattice of the latter. A fundamental understanding of the mechanism of solid-solution hardening would be important, both because of the widespread use of alloys of this type and because of the light that might be thrown on the mechanism of hardening in more complicated alloys. The present investigation covers the hardness of primary substitutional solid solutions of zinc, gallium, germanium, and arsenic in copper. All of these are B subgroup elements from the third period of the periodic table. Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, and As are in groups I, 11, 111, IV, and V, respectively, and lie just to the right of the transition elements. Because of their cost, it is unlikely that Ga-Cu and Ge-Cu solutions will ever be of commercial importance, but the intent of this study has been to discover some of the fundamentals of solid-sdstion hardening and it has been demonstrated that such a study is far more likely to be fruitful if alloys are made up on the basis of position of the constituent elements in the periodic table than if commercially important alloys are used. Many investigations have been made of the hardness of substitutional solid solutions, but lack of attention to purity of the metals, infrequent grain-size control, and the use of varying testing techniques have virtually invalidated any comparisons. The purpose of most investigations has been to solve immediate problems and not to solve the primary problem: Why do solid solutions usually have a greater hardness than pure metals? Previous Work Theories have been advanced to account for the hardness of solid solutions, but relatively little experimental work has been done. Perhaps the first experimental work of merit was that of Norbury1 on copper alloys. He showed that for several alloys there was a correspondence between the hardness of one atomic per cent solutions and atomic volume of the solutions. More recently Brick, Martin, and Anger2 have investigated the effect of various solute elements on the hardness of copper. They concluded that the hardening effect of these solutes depended "primarily on the difference in atomic volume of solute and solvent or, relatedly, upon the parameter change of the solvent or the extent of solid solubility." They also observed the effect of these elements on hardness and texture developed by rolling and by annealing of rolled material. Austin3 examined the hardness and response to heat-treatment of various iron solid solutions. Frye and Hume-Rothery4 measured the hardness of a number of silver solid solutions containing approximately 1 References are at the end of the paper.

Jan 1, 1943

By D. C. Jillson

BRIDGMAN1,2 melted metals in a graphite or hard glass tube and lowered the tube through a furnace to make it cool from one end only. Because of the difficulty of eliminating all vibration of the mold, others have raised the furnace instead. Neither way seems as desirable as a setup with no motion of either the mold or the furnace. A furnace in which both the shape and the slope of the temperature gradient could be controlled and varied over a wide range and in which such a gradient could be moved from one end of the furnace to the other, freezing the specimen from one end to the other, at any desired rate, all by means of isolated external control, seemed to offer definite advantages. In addition to eliminating the possibility of vibration due to moving parts, it might also give better control over the direction and rate of heat flow. Such an apparatus was assembled and is shown schematically in fig. 1. Equipment Furnace: A clay-carborundum tube of 3 1/2 in. ID with a % in. wall thickness was used as the core. This had a main winding of No. 12 B.&S. gauge Nichrome V with some compensation for heat loss at the ends. Taps to this winding were made at points 12 in. from each end. Fig. 2 shows details of this winding and of the two end windings. Each end winding was wound over Micanite over the main winding. No. 15 B.&S. gauge Nichrome V was used for these, and again taps were supplied at two inter-mediat,e points on each. The tube was supported in an 18 in. OD black iron shell with brick insulation. The input to each of the windings was regulated by means of a variable transformer. Temperature Regulation: A chromel-alumel thermocouple located near the furnace wall in the center of the furnace was connected with a Celec-tray controller, type PIC, 300" to 900°C range, which opened and closed a shunt across an external variable resistance in the main winding circuit. An "anticipatory response" device also was incorporated to minimize the cyclic effect of the control mechanism. Eleven survey couples in a common pyrex glass protection tube were located near the furnace wall and spaced 2 in. apart. The couple leads went to a common reference junction box where they were connected to copper leads from a selector switch which, in turn, was connected to a type K potentio-meter. This arrangement permitted rapid temperature surveys. The knob on the controller dial was replaced with a threaded brass spool turned at a controlled rate by a thin iron wire one end of which was attached to a gear train and the other to a small weight heavy enough to prevent slipping of the wire on the spool. The gear train, driven by a 1-rpm Telechron motor, contained a series of different sized interchangeable gears and threaded drums permitting a range of travel speeds from 0.10 in. per hr up to a hypo-

Jan 1, 1951

By L. G. Graper, E. L. Ramsey

THE present program of increased production of armament and lend-lease material for mechanized war has created a problem for the shops that must do the machining. They have naturally turned to the steel producers to provide them with a steel that can be accurately machined with the greatest possible speed. The adding of sulphur to steel as an aid to machinability has long been practiced; however, it may cause red shortness in rolling and may result in billets with seams and cracks, which must be removed before rolling can be continued. This conditioning of billets slows down production and' adds to the cost of making steel. Experience with various grades of sulphur steel made to different specifications has shown that Bessemer sulphur steels roll better than similar grades made in the open hearth, and also that low-carbon steels that are open or semikilled .as tapped roll better than completely deoxidized or killed steels. This has led to the belief that oxygen plays an important part in the rolling qualities of sulphur-bearing steels. It is generally held that the red shortness of sulphur steels is due to the low melting point of the sulphide compounds that separate out at the grain boundaries when the steel solidifies. At the rolling temperature of steel these sulphide compounds melt and cause cracking. ADDING SULPHUR AS A SULPHITE These difficulties can be avoided if sulphur is introduced into the steel by means of an anhydrous sulphite, such as sodium sulphite or sodium bisulphite, which-upon decomposition-forms sulphur dioxide. It is assumed that, in this case, the oxygen of the sulphur dioxide forms part of the sulphide inclusions in the steel, and raises their solidification temperature enough so that the formation in the steel of a low-melting eutectic is prevented. The result is the prevention of hot shortness and a more uniform distribution of inclusions. Fig. I shows photomicrographs of steels made with sulphur, while Fig. 2 illustrates the structure of steels made with sodium . bisulphite. These samples were cut from the steels as cast-that is, before rollingand were polished and lightly etched to bring out the grain boundaries. Fig. I shows that sulphide -inclusions segregate more or less at the grain boundaries, and it can be seen how the continuity of these low-melting inclusions would cause red shortness. Fig. z shows that the sulphide inclusions are more or less uniformly distributed throughout the matrix. This arrangement of inclusions has no apparent effect on the rolling qualities of a steel. This statement has been substantiated by the observation of the rolling of over 6000 tons of steel made with a sulphite addition. RESULTS As stated before, the sulphur dioxide-is added to steel by means of the decomposi-

Jan 1, 1942

By E. A. Nesbitt

The important permanent-magnet alloys 15 years ago contained carbon and depended upon it for their permanent-magnet properties. In recent years great advances have been made in a number of new alloys substantially free of carbon. These include Remalloy,' an alloy of iron, cobalt, and molybdenum, the various iron-nickel-aluminum alloys of the Mishima2 type, and the more recent Alnico V3 in which the best properties are developed by heat-treating in a magnetic field. The Mishima and the Alnico types of alloys are very brittle and after casting must be ground to size. This article describes a permanent-magnet material4 that can be machined as cast, and when handled with some care can be rolled to thin sheet and drawn to fine wire. Optimum magnetic properties are developed by a simple heat-treatment, and at this time the ductility of the alloy disappears. If the cast alloy is heat-treated without cold-working the mag netic energy product is about 1.0 X 106. This material is called Vicalloy I (pronounced vicalloy, V for vanadium, I for iron, and C for cobalt). When the alloy is first hot-worked and then considerably reduced in area by cold-swaging, drawing or grooved rolling, it is found that after heat-treatment the magnetic energy product measured in the direction of previous extension can be increased to 2.0 to 3.5 X 106. These higher values have been obtained only after reductions in area of 75 to 95 per cent, and since the material hardens considerably during working, the reduction ordinarily can be accomplished only in fine wires, although larger sizes can be reduced by the use of powerful machinery. When the material has been cold-worked in such a manner as to improve its energy product substantially, it is called Vicalloy 11. Commercial use of Vicalloy has been made in the recording of speech. Tape 0.002 by 0.050 in. has been found superior in quality to all others tried, and is now used in the Western Electric Mirrorphone 5 In a variety of forms Vicalloy I or I1 is useful in many laboratory instruments, and in experiments in which the sizes and shapes required cannot be obtained with the other more brittle permanent-magnet materials. In 1936, during a study of other age-hardening magnetic systems, it occurred to the author that some of the iron-cobalt-vanadium alloys might be suitable for permanent magnets. The proportions of iron, cobalt, and vanadium were varied and a range of alloys of particular interest was found, as shown by the indicated area in Fig. I. The limits of this range of composition are 30 to 52 per cent iron, 36 to 62 per cent cobalt, and 4 to 16 per cent vanadium. The compositions indicated by points outside this area were also tested. Preparation and Properties OF Vicalloy I The alloys were usually cast in graphite molds into bars 3/4 in. in diameter and

Jan 1, 1946

By Daniel N. Beshers, Ralph H. Condit

An expression for the diffusion coefficient of inlerstitial atoms in the bcc lattice is derived which takes account of jumps between tetrahedral and octahedral interstices. The results are applied to the case of carbon diffusion in iron to find values for jump frequencies of the types, octahedral-tetrahedral, tetra-hedral-tetrahedral, and tetrahedral-octahedral. ThERE has been renewed discussion1-5 concerning the mechanism of diffusion of interstitial atoms in the bcc lattice. This lattice has both octahedral and tetrahedral interstices, and it has been pointed out that the interstitial atoms may make jumps of the octahedral-octahedral type, hereafter called o-o, octahedral-tetrahedral, o-t, and tetrahedral-tetrahedral, t-t. Doubt has been cast on the applicability of snoek's8 model for internal friction to some interstitial migrations in bcc lattices wherein he proposed 0-0 jumps as the principal mechanism of migration. Also, the anomalous excess diffusion of carbon in iron at high temperatures4 has been ascribed to t-t jumps,2,3 even though the sites normally occupied are octahedral. In this paper an expression is derived for the diffusion coefficient, taking account of the three types of jump mentioned. The relationship of the coefficient to the corresponding internal friction relaxation time is found for the limiting case corresponding to Snoek's model. These results are applied to the case of carbon in iron. In Fig. 1, the structure is shown with the locations of the interstices. Each o site has four t site neighbors coplanar with it, and each t site lies halfway between two o sites. There are four t site first neighbors of a t site lying at the vertices of a tetrahedron. Let the average fraction of atoms occupying o sites and t sites be No and Nt, respectively. Since there are six o and twelve t interstices per unit cell having a lattice parameter, a, the concentration of interstitial atoms will It will be assumed that three types of jumps may be distinguished, t — t, t — o, o — t,for which the jump

Jan 1, 1968

By E. L. Dougherty, J. W. Sheldon

A numerical method for computing the dynamical behavior of fluid- fluid interfaces is described. Results of studies made to assess the accuracy and economy of the method on a computer are reported. It is concluded that it is practical to obtain digital computer solutions for fluid- fluid interface problems with two space dimensions. PROBLEM DEFINITION We consider two-dimensional flow in a rectangle as shown in Fig. 1, where a fluid-fluid interface divides the rectangle into two regions. The pressure is specified along the lower boundary (the injection boundary) and upper boundary (the withdrawal boundary). There is to be no flow of fluid across the side boundaries, which are walls of symmetry for the flow, and px = 0 along these boundaries. The fluids are incompressible, the absolute permeability and porosity is constant, and each fluid has its own constant mobility. Thus, the pressure satisfies Laplace's equation in each region. Across the interface, pressure is continuous and the normal component of fluid flux is 1. These conditions are shown in Fig. 1. The velocity of a point on the interface in the direction of the normal from Fluid 1 into Fluid 2 is U,/ Q, where Un is the normal component of volumetric flux at the point on the interface, i.e., For brevity, we call the problem defined above "Problem A". Problem A is a simple example of a dynamical fluid-fluid interface problem. However, the same numerical methods which we use to solve Problem A can be extended to the solution of a large number of fluid-fluid interface problems which are mathematical models for various oil recovery processes,l hence our interest in Problem A. We define the interface by prescribing the x, y coordinates of a finite set of points. These points are called "interface mesh points" and are illustrated by triangles or asterisks in the figures. Fig. 2 is a procedural (flow) chart displaying the main steps in the solution. We comment briefly on some of these steps in this section and then give further details in subsequent sections. For mobility ratio greater than one it is well known that Problem A is unstable.*2 Small amplitude,

Jan 1, 1965

By Rudolph Emmel

The mines operated by the South American Development Co. are located in the Zaruma mining district of southwestern Ecuador. They are near the old mining town of Zaruma, which is the only important city in the canton of the same name. The district is situated in the upper end of a valley lying between two spurs of the Cordillera, one of which may be considered the Coast Range and the other an intermediate range. The mining camp proper, known as Portovelo, and the plant are 2.4 km. south of Zaruma, on the north bank of the Amarillo River, a tributary of the Tumbes River, which flows southwestward through Peru to the Pacific. Portovelo is difficult of access; it is reached from Guayaquil by means of river steamers and muleback. 'Embarking at Guayaquil, the route is down the Guayas River, across the Jambeli Canal, and up the Santa Rosa River to Santa Rosa, a distance of 177 km. From Santa Rosa, the road or trail follows the Santa Rosa River, then across the summit of the Coast Range into Portovelo, a distance of 74 km.—a two-day trip on muleback. The mining property of the South American Development Co. comprises 297 lode claims and 142 placer claims. The combined lode claims cover an area, roughly rectangular in shape, 9000 m. long from north to south by 4000 m. wide; the northern edge of the rectangle is about 3000 m. north of the central plaza of Zaruma. Mineral lands in Ecuador are held by virtue of an annual tax per claim paid to the central government, no surface rights being included. HiSTOry The Zaruma mine has been worked by white men since 1549, probably before that it was worked by Indians. The followers of Pizarro, led by traces of gold in the sands of the Tumbes River, followed that stream to its source, worked the gold veins that they found and established the city of Zaruma. Among the mines worked by them were th Sesmo, Leonora, Viscaya, and Mina Grande. Only the soft ores at the outcrop were

Jan 1, 1925

By L. H. Wolfe, J. O. Thieme

The tensile and shear strengths of frozen soil and the compressive strengths of ice and frozen soil were measured These tests showed that the strength of ice and of frozen soil increased as the temperature was decreased. A method is presented for the measurement of thermal conductivity and specific heat of earth and ice. Using the parameters thermal conductivity, specific heat and density, the thermal diffusivity was calculated. Results of thermal property tests establish water as the major variable contributing to thermal property values. INTRODUCTION During the last few years, a considerable interest has developed in underground storage of cryogenic liquids such as liquid natural gas. Because of its economy and safety, underground storage is being used. Before underground caverns could be seriously considered, however, the strength and thermal characteristics of the soil had to be obtained. Methods are presented herein for measuring tensile, compressive and shear strengths, specific heats and thermal conductivities. The tests were performed on two soils at temperatures from ambient to -195C. Because it is difficult to find data in the literature that pertain to a particular soil, ice was used to evaluate some of the experimental procedures. Some of our ice data are compared to the published values. PHYSICAI, PROPERTIES SOIL SELECTION AND SAMPLE PREPARATIONS The physical and thermal tests were performed on recompacted samples of two typical soils that might be encountered in underground caverns: a gray, fire clay that had been pulverized and mixed with water into a pliable mud; and a brown, sandy silt that was dug from a dry river bank and subsequent1y mixed with tap water. The moisture content of the test specimens was 17 to 22 per cent (based on the wet weight of the soil). This amount of water nearly saturated the silt, but the clay was well below the saturation point. The soils are partially described by the sieve analyses (Fig. 1) which show the particle size distribution of the coarser than 44 micron portion of the soils. The curves also show that approximately 75 per cent of the clay and 20 per cent of the silt are finer than 44 microns. The particle size seems to affect some of the physical properties, and the finer than 44 micron portion is important in the thermal conductivity test. Physical specimens were cut with a bandsaw from frozen blocks of the soil. The specimens were then sanded and kept frozen until after they were tested. They were stored at the approximate test temperature for several hours. Then, to equilibrate the samples to the test temperature, they were stored at the temperature at least an hour before they were tested. TEST EQUIPMENT An Instron, which is a constant speed gear-driven instrument, applied force to the samples and drew stress-strain plots of the test. All of the samples were strained at 0.02 in./min. All of the physical tests were conducted in a temperature cabinet that controlled the temperature to 1C. TENSILE STRENGTH Briquette or "dog-bone" shaped tensile specimens were pulled with suitably shaped jaws. This shape of specimen, which is usually used for tensile tests of concrete, is satisfactory for testing frozen soils except that the samples tend to

Jan 1, 1965

By N. V. Peterson, R. S. Mason

The violent explosion of Mount St. Helens in the state of Washington on May 18, 1980 showered volcanic ash over vast areas of the Northwest. It was another eruptive episode in a long history of similar occurrences in the region, which extends from Canada to California and reaches several hundred miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Pumice, pumicite, and cinders are products of explosive volcanic eruptions. Pumice and pumicite are produced by the violent expansion of dissolved gases in a viscous silicic lava such as rhyolite or dacite. Scoria is the mafic counterpart of pumice. Pumice is a light-colored, cellular, almost frothy rock made up of glass-walled bubble casts. It may occur as coherent, massive blocks composed of highly vesicular glassy lava in either a flow or vent filling, or it may be more or less fragmented by violent eruption. Pumicite, the diminutive of pumice, has the same origin, chemical composition, and glassy structure, differing only in particle size. Particles less than 0.16 in. in diam are designated pumicite. Pumice usually is found relatively close to the vent from which it was expelled, while pumicite may be carried by winds for great distances before settling as an accumulation of fine-grained ash or tuffaceous sediment. Mount St. Helens lofted an estimated 5 billion cu yd of ash and pumicite. The volcano, unlike most of the High Cascade peaks, is composed largely of dacitic material with only minor amounts of andesite and basalt. Volcanic cinders are the reddish to black vesicular fragments which pile up during explosive eruptions of volcanoes of basaltic composition. Most cinder deposits occur as cones or mounds of stratified fragments ranging from a fraction of an inch to several inches in diameter. Individual cones or mounds may be several hundred feet in diameter and up to 500 ft high. Properties and Uses Low bulk density, good heat and sound insulating properties, and excellent abrasive capabilities make pumice and pumicite useful in industrial applications. Cinders, though less cellular and somewhat heavier, also have a variety of industrial uses. The main use of pumice and cinders continues to be in the construction industry as road-surfacing material, railroad ballast, and building block aggregate. Pumicite is used in sizable quantities as a pozzolanic additive to monolithic concrete where it increases workability, strength, and durability of the concrete and reduces the heat of hydration. Volcanic cinders generally are denser and more coarsely cellular than most pumice. Markets for cinders include aggregate for road construction and surfacing and use in lightweight concretes, particularly blocks. Some producers having access to both pumice and cinders offer a variety of blends of the two materials to block manufacturers. Table I lists the principal applications of industrial pumice. Tables 2 and 3 show US sales and uses of volcanic products. Most pumice deposits are unconsolidated and usually have a minimum of overburden. Mining is by open pit and can be easily carried out with conventional loading equipment. Sometimes air drying precedes hauling to a crushing and screening plant which yields the size product desired. Multiple bins at railroad hauling facilities permit blending if desired. Pumice for abrasive use may require more sophisticated processing by fine grinding and air classification before being bagged for market.

Jan 1, 1983

By R. A. Hadfield

The present tribute to a great pioneer in the steel industry, with the accompanying remarks upon the town of Sheffield, which has remained to this day what his invention made it, an important center of that industry, originally formed a part of the paper on "Iron Alloys," prepared, at the invitation of the Council of the Institute, for the Chicago meeting of August, 1893. That paper, begun with the intention of dealing with many alloys of iron, became, of necessity, through the limitations of time on the part of the writer and of space in the Transactions of the Institute, mainly a discussion of the principal modern commercial alloy of iron, manganese-steel; and much introductory and general matter was consequently omitted. The Secretary suggested, however, that this particular portion would be interesting and appropriate as a separate contribution, and I therefore present it as such, offering the foregoing statement simply as an explanation of its incomplete character. If I had undertaken to write a paper upon this subject alone, I should have felt myself bound to bestow upon it more elaborate research and to treat it with more abundant details. It was in the immediate neighborhood of Sheffield that the first successful process for the fusion of steel on a commercial scale saw the light. The late Dr. Percy, a leading authority in general metallurgy, says: " Formerly, so far as I am aware, steel was never melted and cast after its production; and in only one instance, viz., that of wootz was it ever molten during its production.....Now, by the fusion and casting of steel after its production its heterogeneousness is remedied, and ingots of the metal may be procured of perfectly uniform composition throughout; and for the practical solution of this important problem we are indebted to Benjamin Huntsman, of Sheffield." As a recent American journal appropriately remarks: " Huntsman's patient efforts, at last rewarded with success, entitle him to an elevated niche among the heroes of industry. The invention of cast-steel was second

Jan 1, 1895

By R. S. Handy

Does hand-sorting of mill feed pay? The fact that the practice is so general would seem to indicate that there must be good reasons for following it; yet, to my mind, the advantage in many cases is doubtful enough to invite a thorough discussion of the subject, in an effort to determine under what conditions hand-sorting does pay. A typical sorting plant in the Cœur d'Alene district handles about 800 tons of mine-run ore per day. The material is run over a grizzly with about 4-in. opening; the oversize is crushed to about 4-in. size and joins the undersize, and the whole product is washed and screened on trommels with about 11/2-in. openings. The oversize from these trommels is spread on a belt and the waste and first-class ore are sorted out by hand, the residue being further crushed, and passes, together with the trommel undersize, into the mill feed bins. About 50 tons of shipping ore and 150 tons of waste are sorted out per day, leaving about 600 tons of mill feed. To sort out this material requires 20 ore sorters and five bosses and repairmen. The normal cost of hand-sorting is about 16 c. per ton of run-of-mine ore, or 65 c. per ton of material sorted out. I believe that straight crushing and milling of the run-of-mine ore, in this case, is not only cheaper, but is metallurgi-cally more economical and efficient than hand-sorting followed by milling of the residue. At one of the Bunker Hill rock-houses, 1250 tons of run-of-mine ore are reduced to pass 30-mm., or about 11/4-in., opening in six hours, requiring five men. The equipment and the power consumed are not greatly different from that required in a sorting plant of the same capacity, and the normal cost of thus preparing the feed for milling is under 3 c. per ton of mine product. The relative cheapness of this method as against hand-sorting is thus clearly established, the saving being about 13 c. per ton. If there is any virtue in, hand-sorting, then, it must lie in the metallurgical results achieved. Possibly the favor that hand-sorting has found is due to a misconception as to what happens to the clean shipping ore if it is sent to the mill. If a mill makes, say, an 80 per cent. recovery on its feed, the hand-sorting advocate may assume that if the hand-sorted product be sent to the mill, 20 per cent. of the metals contained in it will be lost. This, I believe,

Jan 1, 1920

By J. B. Austin

MEASUREMENTS of the rate of decomposition of austenite at constant temperature are commonly represented by plotting the percentage trans-formed on linear coordinates against time on either a linear or a logarith-mic scale, a method that yields a curve that in shape resembles an integral sign (Fig. 1). A graph of this kind is not always convenient because extrapolation to the beginning or end of the transformation, or even inter-polation, may be uncertain unless there are a large number of observations, which seldom happens; furthermore, the degree of consistency of a set of measurements is difficult to judge from such a curve. It is desirable therefore to find some mode of plotting, or even better to find a standard variety of graph paper, that gives a straight line instead of the integral shape. The straight line has many advantages; the number of readings required to fix the position of the curve is greatly reduced, interpolation is easy and rapid, extrapolation can be carried out with greater confidence and, finally, the consistency of the measurements is readily estimated from the scatter of the points. The last advantage is particularly valu-able when the data are obtained by direct microscopic examination alone, because they are influenced by the skill of the observer in estimating the relative size of areas, possibly also by undetected inhomogeneity of the specimen. A search for ways of representing the observations as a straight line yielded two methods which are described in this paper. The paper also includes an account of some interesting relations brought to light in applying these methods to the available experimental data. Usually the best way to derive such a method of plotting is to base it on established principles of chemistry and physics, as has been done, for example, for the temperature variation of the equilibrium constant of a chemical reaction. But so little is known of the mechanism of the decom-position of austenite, and so little is available in the way of well established background for changes of this kind, that it is simpler to rely upon purely empirical means. The general plan therefore is to study existing data with a view to finding some function of the direct observations that will

Jan 1, 1938

By A. A. Jr. Smith, J. S. Smart

The controlled amounts of phosphorus, arsenic, sulphur or selenium found in commercial coppers perform a variety of highly useful functions. Indeed, a large segment of modern copper technology is essentially dependent upon the presence of one or more of these elements. Consequently, the literature contains many references to their effects but the scope is broad and has been only partly covered. New data are presented herewith directed toward a better understanding of the basic behavior of these elements in copper, with particular emphasis on the composition range o to 0.05 per cent. These data are a part of a general program of research on the effects of impurities on the properties of oxygen-bearing and oxygen-free copper, other portions of which have been reported previously. Schematically, the behavior of individual elements is determined from measurements of conductivity and softening temperature,'v2 and the binary alloys employed are synthesized from high-purity copper in order to eliminate interference from the effects of extraneous impurities. Alloys of selected composition were first prepared in the oxygen-free form by continuously casting the melts in the form of %-in. diameter rod. Oxygen was added subsequently to portions of the alloys, either by remelting or by diffusion at 8jo°C. from a surface scale. Test wires wcre drawn one B. and S. number per pass, using four 30-min. 600°C. anneals at 0.3125, 0.257, 0.204 and 0.162 in., and a final cold reduction of 75 per cent to 0.081 in. Oxygen-bearing slugs made by remelting nere hot-rolled to 4ia in.. drawn to 0.162 in., annealed for 30 min. at 6o0°C. and cold-drawn 75 per cent to 0.081 inch. The alloys containing phosphorus, having been compounded very early in the program, were prepared in the form of 3i6-in. rod, and processed to wire with only the last three intermediate anneals listed above, all of these having been conducted in commercial nitrogen. In addition, the conductivity anneals on these alloys were also performed in the same atmosphere, and the small amount of oxygen present as an impurity in the gas resulted in some loss of accuracy at temperatures of 700' to 8o0°C., as will be shown later. Subsequently, the anneals for all oxygen-free alloys were conducted in hydrogen to prevent oxidation, and purified nitrogen was employed only for oxygen-bearing samples. All conductivity anneals wcre of one hour duration followed by a rapid quench in 10 per cent HZSO*. Effect of Phosphorus The widespread use of phosphorus as a deoxidant has resulted in universal appreci-

Jan 1, 1946

By W. A. West

One who attempts to collect and classify equilibrium data from various iron-alloy systems is soon struck with the absence of any quantitative theory that can serve as a general background against which to compare and contrast results from different systems, at different temperatures, and with different concentrations. It is not necessary to wait for a perfect theory; investigation of divergences of theory from observation may prove of great value in acquiring understanding of the subject. For example, one has only to think of Raoult's law as applied to aqueous solutions. The equations developed by Zener1 represent an effort to provide such a quantitative theoretical background, and it is therefore desirable to subject this theory to such tests as can be applied. The present article is intended to be an application of available tests, and may thus be considered as a supplement to Zener's paper. It is assumed that this paper is available to the reader. The equations make it possible to calculate the effect on the equilibrium concentration of one alloying element due to the presence of one or more other elements. In particular. they are intended to give, for alloy steels, the carbon concentrations in alpha and gamma phases in equilibrium with each other, and in gamma in equilibrium with cementite. They may, however, be modified for use for carbon-free alloys. A summary is given later of the equations used in analyzing the data in this paper, and the symbols are there defined. About 125 papers have been examined for experimental data suitable for this investigation. An effort was made to look up all available reports of ternary systems including iron and carbon, as well as similar systems of higher order. Supplementary material was also obtained from a number of binary systems. A few noncarbon ternary systems were also found to which these methods could be applied. A comparatively small proportion oi the papers read provided usable material. In many systems the number of quantitative observations made in the iron-rich region is extremely small, and the smoothed curves to be found in most published phase diagrams are entirely useless for quantitative treatment. This opinion is confirmed by the authors of the series on Alloys of Iron Research, whose remarks show clearly that they have no illusions as to the accuracy of many diagrams that they present. A further difficulty arises from the fact that these equations apply only to rather low percentages of alloying elements. The result is that at the lowest concentrations, where the best agreement might be hoped for, the errors of observation become relatively very large. The experimental difficulties in measurements of this kind of equilibrium are, of course, an old story.

Jan 1, 1947

By R. B. Gilmore

The North Texas district, as herein defined, includes the counties of Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cooke, Foard, Hardeman, Jack, Kiiox, Montague, Wichita, Wil-barger, and Young. Jack and Young Counties are included for the first time so that this district will correspond with District No. 9 of the Texas Railroad Commission. This area covers generally the crest and south flank of a system of buried mountains known as the Red River uplift. The oil and gas accumulations along this feature are in traps, which, although localized by structures incident to the regional uplift, usually are modified by stratigraphic changes in the sediments. The structural deformation caused by the Red River uplift is modified by the Rend arch, which is a broad anticline plunging northward from the Llano uplift in central Texas through Young and into Archer Counties. The fields in southern Archer, southeastern Baylor, southwestern Clay, and western Jack Counties arc on the extreme north end and along the flanks of the Bend arch and have generally the same type of oil and gas accumulation as the other fields in this district. Recent exploration has been along the flanks of the Fort Worth syncline, which is east of the Bend arch and south of the Red River uplift and extends into southeastern Clay and southwestern Montague Counties and along the eastern part of Jack County. The larger part of past oil and gas produc- tion has come from Pennsylvanian strata, with less important amounts lrom the Permian, and minor quantities from the Mississippian and Ordovician. Developments during 1943 About 1100 wells were drilled in the district during 1943 and more than 500 oil wells were completed, an increase from 1942. of approximately 12 per cent in the number of successful drilling operations of the total wells drilled. The addition of Jack and Young Counties to this district accounts for part of this increase, almost 150 wells being completed in the two counties. Production increased slightly over the previous year as a result of an increase in the number of producing wells and a greater demand for this high-gravity, sweet crude oil. The average depth of discovery wells was about 400 ft. deeper than in 1942. Although more discoveries produced from horizons below the base of the Strawn series than from those above the Straw, the deeper horizons, including the Bend series of the Pennsylvanian, the Mississippian limestone and Ellenburger of the Ordo-vician, largely were dissappointing from the viewpoint of major additions to oil reserves. The largest single addition to the reserves was in the basal Strawn sand in the Walnut Bend field, Cooke County. During the year, 31 wells were completed, both in the field and as cxtensions. The most active arca Was Jack County, in which five fields or potential fields were discovered, although only 44 oil wells were completed.

Jan 1, 1944

By I. Fatt

Study of a model which contains "dead-end" pore volume indicates that pressure transients are influenced by the amount of dead-end pore volume and by the resistance of the flow path between the dead-end pore volume and the main flow channels. A semi-empirical method is demonstrated that makes possible measurenment of the volume in the dead-end pores and the total pore volume. The difference between these two volumes is the volume of the flow channels. An indication of the flow resistance between the dead-end pore space and the lain flow channels is also obtained. INTRODUCTION In some engineering calculations the distribution of pore volume in a petroleum reservoir need not be known. For example, a material balance calculation treats a reservoir as an oil-filled tank. In other calculations the distribution of pore volume appears implicitly through use of the porosity and the relative permeability and capillary pressure characteristics. It is the purpose of this paper to point out that under certain conditions the exact distribution of pore volume must be known in order to interpret correctly transient flow behavior. Pressure transients during single-phase flow in porous media are usually said to obey differential equations of the form