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By R. B. Rosene, G. L. Foster, A. R. Hendrickson

he properties of some of the common fracturing oils, such as sand-falling rate, fluid loss and viscasity, are a function of the three major constituents of the oil. These are: asphaltic material, parafin waxes and a base oil. The base oil can be either high or low viscosity. Asphaltic material increases viscosity by thickening the oil, decreasing the rate of fall of sand through the oil. at temperatures up to 200" F. When large arnorrnts of parafin wax are present, much of the wax i.s not dissolved, but is present in the form of rnicroscopic crystals. 7'his, of course is limited to temperatures below the melting points of waxe.s. As a result, parafin waxes clo not function primarily as thickener.7, but rother as bullting materials. The functiori of wax, without asphaltic material, in a low viscosity base oil is uniquely unlike that of wax with asphalt coexistent in the oil. The resulting difierence in wax crystal size governs the sand-falling rate to a large extent. An ideal type of fracturing oil is one containing neither asphalt nor waxes. In such cases, the viscosity and resulting low sand-falling rate are apparently due to soluble resin- ous hydrocarbons, which are compatible with formation oils. INTRODUCTION Since the introduction of hydraulic fracturing as a method of stimulating production from oil and gas wells, a variety of fluids have been employed to open the fractures and carry the propping agent. Such fluids include gels, emulsions, and oils. In the latter category, the use of refined oils has increased tremendously, and it is probably safe to assume that such oils represent more than one-half of the total fluid used in fracturing. The general acceptance of refined oils for fracturing can be accounted for on the basis of their relatively low cost and general applicability. To minimize transportation costs, such refined oils are generally obtained within the local areas of operation. As a result there are several kinds of oil used in different areas, with a wide variation in the basic composition. These types may vary from a fair grade of lubricating stock to a highly viscous cut-back asphalt. or road oil. Originally, little attention was paid to the composition of the oils used for fracturing, and any oil which would carry sand was considered satisfactory. Recently, however, service companies and well operators have become more concerned with the type of oils used for fracturing. With this in mind, the present work was undertaken to evaluate and compare many widely used fracturing oils to determine which constituents were most desirable for fracturing purposes. Some of the important properties of fracturing fluids are sand-falling rate, viscosity, and fluid loss. Other properties, that are actually of no less importance, include flash point, pour point, emulsifying tendencies with formation brines, and compatability with the formation oils. This discussion has been limited, however, to the first mentioned properties in order to give some idea of the general composition of the refined oils, how they function, and why. PROPERTIES OF FRACTURING OILS The properties of fracturing oils are a function of the three major constituents of the oil. These may be designated as: (1) asphaltic material, (2) paraffin waxes and (3) a base oil, which may be of either high or low viscosity. The asphaltic material clas-

Jan 1, 1956

By P. Shahinian, R. L. Stegman, M. R. Achter

Creep strength has been determined as a function of oxygen pressure for nickel at 510" and 600°C. Creep-rupture life drops from its highest value at the ultimate vacuum of 10-7 torr to a high pressure plateau of nearly constant life which, at 600°C, commences at torr. This behavior is described in terms of a model that relates surface gas adsorption and the generation of fresh crack surfaces. In a calculation based a this model the predicted pressure beyond which the creep strength should not decrease further has been found to agree well with the observed value. The introduction of oxygen during creep in vacuum was found to cause a prompt rise of the creep rate. The magnitude of the environmental effect was much less than generally observed in fatigue and this is attributed to the diffarent crack morphologies in creep and fatigue. GASEOUS environments are known to affect creep resistance adversely1-5 but the effects have received less attention than the much larger ones in fatigue. At low temperatures it has been shown for nickel that the creep rates are faster and the rupture lives are shorter in air than in vacuum and that these environmental effects can be correlated with faster crack growth rates in the reactive environment.' In support of a mechanism of gas adsorption at the crack tip to explain the above effects, a calculation based on kinetic gas theory showed that surface coverage by gas was not as rapid as the exposure of fresh metal at the crack tip in the ultimate vacuum but was in air.7 In fatigue a number of investigations have demonstrated that the reduction of life with gas pressure usually follows a step curve with most of the reduction occurring in a transition range at intermediate pressures and little or no change at high and low pressure.8 There have been no studies, however, in which creep strength has been determined as a function of reactive gas pressure to see whether similar effects would be found. This investigation was undertaken to study the kinetics of the environmental effect in the creep of nickel. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES The environmental creep apparatus was constructed to minimize many of the experimental conditions which can cause scatter in data. Dead weight loading is employed and weights are contained within the environmental chamber to eliminate bellows and the necessity for compensation for gas pressure changes. Elongation over the specimen gage length is recorded from a Riehle Model DV Controlled Environment Extensometer which provides readout to 2.5 x 10- in. Temperature is monitored and controlled from a thermocouple at- tached to the specimen gage length to +0.5oC or better. The freon trapped oil diffusion pump vacuum system included an auxiliary liquid nitrogen trap and, with a wide range variable conductance leak valve, pressures from the ultimate vacuum of 10"7 to l03 torr of any desired gas are obtainable. Pressure is measured by means of a hot filament ionization gage below 10"3 torr and a NRC Model 530 Alphatron Vacuum Gauge above 10-3 torr. The oxygen, which was leaked into the environmental chamber, was an Aviator's Grade of 99.5 pct purity with a dew point of -80°F. Analysis of the nominal 99.8 pct Ni showed the following percentages of major impurities: 0.02 C, 4.01 Mn, 0.005 Si, 0.01 Cu, 0.02 Fe, and 0.034 Mg. Cylindrical specimens were machined with a 0.180

Jan 1, 1970

By D. O. Wyble

Five water-driver fields, for which pressure predictions had been made within a few years after discovery, were re-studied when four to five years of additional pressure and production data became available. It was fortnd that forecasts of the pressure in water-dri~fe reservoirs may be subject to considerable unccrtainty. Predictions car be erroneous when there is insufficient presswe history to define the cllaracteristics of the aquifer, and when there are errors in the pressure, production or geologic data. INTRODUCTION The efficient operation of an oil or gas reservoir requires that the important characteristics of the reservoir be determined soon after its discovery. It is especially desirable to evaluate the pressure-production relationship quickly, for this relationship provides a basis for deducing the type of production mechanism that is operative, and for making pressure predictions. The pressure predictions, in turn, provide a basis for calculating efficient rates of production, determining whether water or gas should be injected, etc. The importance of pressure prediction is such that forecasts should be made as accurate as possible, and the limits of error well defined. Historically, pressure forecasts for some fields have proved very accurate, while for others the forecasts were so erroneous that they resulted in the adoption of wrong, or at best, unnecessary production practices. Pressure predictions made for water-drive fields are especially subject to error. Accurate forecasting for these fields requires that much be known not only about the reservoir proper but about the adjacent water-filled rock as well. The water-containing rock, or aquifer, may extend for many miles, and often there is only meager data regarding its thickness, permeability and porosity. Much of the information must be inferred from the previous pressure behavior of the reservoir. A brief pressure history may provide little information about the characteristics of the aquifer. Hence, pressure predictions made early in the life of water-drive fields can be incorrect. The work described in this paper was done to determine the degree of reliability which can be expected of pressure predictions made within a few years after water-drive fields are discovered. Five fields, for which the original pressure predictions had been based on less than seven years' history, were re-examined with the aid of four to five years of additional pressure data. Where the predictions were inaccurate, the reasons for failure were ascertained. The studies were accomplished by use of the electric reservoir analyzer.' The analyzer was first adjusted to repeat the original pressure-production match using the same values for the various parameters as were used in the original study. Then, the actual production rates experienced during the time elapsed since the initial study were set into the analyzer, and the pressure behavior indicated by the machine for this period was compared with that which actually OCcurred. Where the pressure profile traced out by the analyzer deviated from the observed field behavior, the analyzer was readjusted to obtain a better over-all match. The old and the new solutions were compared to determine the reasons for any differences. COMPARISON OF PREDICTED RESERVOIR PRESSURE BEHAVIOR WITH ACTUAL PERFORMANCE Field A The original pressure-production match is entirely adequate as evidenced by the pressure match of the field's history subsequent to Jan., 1952 (see Fig. 1)'.

By Charles H. Jacoby

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

Jan 1, 1983

By H. R. Stahl

The ore of the Southeast Missouri lead district consists essentially of galena in dolomitic limestone. The galena usually is in a very finely disseminated condition. The experience of recent years in the concentrating plants of the St. Joseph Lead Co. has shown that dry crushing carried to a point where about 90 per cent of the ore passes a 14-mesh screen liberates the larger portion of the galena, and minimizes further necessary reduction in rod or ball mills. Concentration practice has attempted to carry size reduction to a point where economic unlocking of the galena is obtained, without causing undue sliming of the very friable galena. While 60 per cent of the tonnage of the district is treated by the flotation process, only 40 per cent of the total concentrates is produced by that means, as efforts have always been made to keep the grade and tonnage of flotation feed as low as possible. The milling practice of the district for some years has recognized the generally accepted idea of better selective grinding in rod mills as compared with ball mills, with the attendant decrease in production of fines. The function of rod and ball mills in the various concentrating plants is the grinding of table middlings and coarse tailings that carry lead values too high to be discarded. The simplified flowsheet in Fig. I illustrates the place of grinding mills in the circuit. The arrangement of classi- fiers, tables and mills constitutes a closed circuit within somewhat flexible limits. In 1937 experiments were conducted in replacing the ball charge in a 6 by 4-ft. ball mill with rods 2 in. in diameter and 51 in. long. This step was taken with some hesitancy, as it was easy to picture a mass of tangled and crossed rods. However, no difficulties developed, and after a short trial period, six more ball mills were converted to rod mills. These mills are of the spur gear and pinion, belt-driven type, using in most cases a 75-hp. motor and having a 9½-in. open trunnion discharge. As ball mills, they carried a charge of 16,000 to 20,000 lb. of balls, 2 in. in original size. The feed to the mills was dewatered by dewatering wheels and introduced at 70 to 75 per cent solids, with a single scoop feeder. One change in mill design was found advisable when rods were introduced. The existing end liners had an outward flare of 3½ in. in 12 in. These were replaced by linings having vertical interior faces, in order to prevent undue end travel of the rods. This change gave an effective working length of 52¾ in. inside the mill. No alterations were made in the shell liners, which are of the smooth type, made of manganese steel 2 in. in original thickness. The rods at present in use are 51 in. long and 1¾ in. in diameter. The composition has been varied at times; at present they contain 0.70 per cent carbon and 0.70 per cent manganese. Some breakage and etching occurs as the rods become small, but this is considered preferable to using softer rods, which may kink and cause tangling of the charge. The mill charges

Jan 1, 1947

By H. R. Stahl

The ore of the Southeast Missouri lead district consists essentially of galena in dolomitic limestone. The galena usually is in a very finely disseminated condition. The experience of recent years in the concentrating plants of the St. Joseph Lead Co. has shown that dry crushing carried to a point where about 90 per cent of the ore passes a 14-mesh screen liberates the larger portion of the galena, and minimizes further necessary reduction in rod or ball mills. Concentration practice has attempted to carry size reduction to a point where economic unlocking of the galena is obtained, without causing undue sliming of the very friable galena. While 60 per cent of the tonnage of the district is treated by the flotation process, only 40 per cent of the total concentrates is produced by that means, as efforts have always been made to keep the grade and tonnage of flotation feed as low as possible. The milling practice of the district for some years has recognized the generally accepted idea of better selective grinding in rod mills as compared with ball mills, with the attendant decrease in production of fines. The function of rod and ball mills in the various concentrating plants is the grinding of table middlings and coarse tailings that carry lead values too high to be discarded. The simplified flowsheet in Fig. I illustrates the place of grinding mills in the circuit. The arrangement of classi- fiers, tables and mills constitutes a closed circuit within somewhat flexible limits. In 1937 experiments were conducted in replacing the ball charge in a 6 by 4-ft. ball mill with rods 2 in. in diameter and 51 in. long. This step was taken with some hesitancy, as it was easy to picture a mass of tangled and crossed rods. However, no difficulties developed, and after a short trial period, six more ball mills were converted to rod mills. These mills are of the spur gear and pinion, belt-driven type, using in most cases a 75-hp. motor and having a 9½-in. open trunnion discharge. As ball mills, they carried a charge of 16,000 to 20,000 lb. of balls, 2 in. in original size. The feed to the mills was dewatered by dewatering wheels and introduced at 70 to 75 per cent solids, with a single scoop feeder. One change in mill design was found advisable when rods were introduced. The existing end liners had an outward flare of 3½ in. in 12 in. These were replaced by linings having vertical interior faces, in order to prevent undue end travel of the rods. This change gave an effective working length of 52¾ in. inside the mill. No alterations were made in the shell liners, which are of the smooth type, made of manganese steel 2 in. in original thickness. The rods at present in use are 51 in. long and 1¾ in. in diameter. The composition has been varied at times; at present they contain 0.70 per cent carbon and 0.70 per cent manganese. Some breakage and etching occurs as the rods become small, but this is considered preferable to using softer rods, which may kink and cause tangling of the charge. The mill charges

Jan 1, 1947

By Joseph J. Becker

RECENTLY the "oriented growth" hypothesis of recrystallization textures has been receiving considerable attention. According to this view, "whenever a new generation of grains is growing in a highly oriented matrix . . . one may assume . . . that from among available nuclei of a great variety of orientations those with suitable orientation relationship with respect to the matrix have by far the highest rate of growth (oriented growth) and will, therefore, predominate."' This statement includes primary recrystallization of single crystals and of polycrystalline materials showing strong deformation textures as particular cases. While the phenomenon of oriented growth undoubtedly does operate, and may be of importance in coarsening or secondary recrystallization, the writer feels that its extension to primary recrystallization is a different matter. Several aspects of this phenomenon may be pointed out which are difficult to rationalize on the basis of oriented growth. In recrystallizing deformed single crystals of alpha brass, Maddin, Mathewson, and Hibbard2 found that the twin composition planes of the recrystallized grains were parallel to the three operative slip planes they observed, and not to the fourth octahedral plane. The writer's current work seems to indicate further that when only one or two slip systems can be seen to operate, the recrystallized grains are aligned only with those slip planes actually observed. This behavior could hardly be accounted for by oriented growth, because on the latter basis the recrystallized texture of a deformed single crystal should certainly have the same symmetry as the crystal itself. Growth rates could not be expected to distinguish between crystallogra- phically equivalent directions, unless the presence of a visible slip system vastly increases the growth rate in the appropriate direction. This seems unlikely. These relationships were observed by the writer only when considerable care had been exercised before annealing to etch away the effects of cutting out the centers of tensile specimens with a jeweler's saw and to etch off the ends of compression specimens. When these.precautions were not taken, nu-cleation inevitably appeared to occur at the saw cuts or at the ends, and the resulting orientations never showed a [111] rotation but appeared quite random. The provision of many nuclei of many orientations did not enhance the correlation, but destroyed it. Recrystallization textures are sometimes strongly dependent on annealing temperature, which would imply that the anisotropy of growth rates is a suddenly varying function of temperature. This might be regarded as unlikely. Recrystallization textures can be strongly dependent on the degree of deformation. If textures are to be explained by selective growth from among nuclei of all orientations, it is difficult to see how the recrystallization process could have any dependence whatever on the manner or degree of deformation. It is felt that the above points should be considered before the oriented growth hypothesis is applied to primary recrystallization, with the necessary complete divorce of the mechanism of recrystallization from the details of the deformation process. References 1P. A. Beck and H. Hu: Reply to discussion of their paper on Recrystallization Texture and Coarsening Texture in High Purity Aluminum. Trans. AIME, 188, 1057; Journal oF Metals (Aug. 1950) TP 29083. 'R. Maddin, C. H. Mathewson, and W. R. Hibbard, Jr.: The Origin of Annealing Twins in Brass. Trans. AIME, 185, 655; Journal of Metals (Sept. 1949) TP 26763.

Jan 1, 1952

By J. Szekely, R. G. Carr

A method is presented which allows the extension of the Ergun equation for the description of gas flow through packed beds in a nonisothermal regime. The pressure profile in the packed bed is calculated by the establishment of a differential energy balance and the iterative integration of the integral equation thus obtained. The predicted values of the pressure distribution were found to be in excellent agreement with those measured experimentally, under carefully controlled conditions. MANY metallurgical processes are carried out in systems in which a gas stream and particular solids are contacted in a packed bed arrangement under strongly nonisothermal conditions. Ore sintering, the firing of pellets, the operation of regenerators, blast furnace technology may be quoted as examples. Although many aspects of these systems have been extensively studied, an important variable, the pressure distribution and the relationship between pressure head and flow rate, received only little attention to date. The purpose of the paper is to present a brief survey of relevant previous work, followed by a more rigorously formulated model, together with experimental results that afford ready comparison of theoretical prediction with measurement. PREVIOUS WORK A great deal of information is available in the chemical engineering literature on flow phenomena in porous media.' The experimental results pertaining to gas flow were generally interpreted in terms of models based on the analogy with the flow through a pipe of an incompressible, isothermal fluid. Of the numerous, semiempirical correlations that have been proposed to relate pressure drop to the volumetric flow rate, the Ergun equation2 is generally regarded as the most satisfactory: The strong nonisothermality of the metallurgical systems previously mentioned would render the direct applicability of Eq. [I] rather doubtful as both density and viscosity are temperature-dependent. Ergun has used Eq. [I] for estimating the pressure drop in the stack region in the blast furnace by neglecting the viscous term and evaluating the gas density at the integral mean temperature.3 His calculations showed a rather variable agreement with measurements and it was uncertain whether the discrepancy found was attributable to the model or to the inaccuracies often inherent in measurements on an industrial scale. Other work on nonisothermal systems includes studies of the pressure distribution in sinter beds, notably by Voice et a1.4 and Mitchell.5 Mitchell developed a method involving the subdivision of the bed into several zones and assigning average property values (temperature, gas density, and so forth) to each zone. The pressure drop was then calculated for each zone by using an expression analogous to Eq. [I]. This method was an improvement over that described by Voice et al., but even here prediction and measurement differed by as much as 30 pct in certain cases. It would appear that no really satisfactory methods are available for the prediction of pressure drop in packed beds with a strongly nonisothermal regime. The method involving subdivision of the bed into small enough sections, that may be regarded as isothermal, would show promise; however its validity has to be tested by both a rigorous formulation and comparison with experimental data obtained under controlled conditions. In the following a formulation is presented together with experimental data allowing ready practical evaluation of the theory. FORMULATION The mechanical energy balance over an infinitesimal section of a packed bed may be written as follows:

Jan 1, 1969

By J. S. Kasper, R. M. Waterstrat, B. F. Decker

THE existence of v phase in the Mn-Mo system was discovered in this laboratory several years ago,' but neither the conditions of its formation nor its composition were known, and preliminary attempts to reproduce the phase were unsuccessful. We wish now to specify the information appropriate to phase formation on the basis of experiments performed since that time. The starting materials were in every case electrolytic manganese and high purity molybdenum. Two methods of preparation were employed: l—arc-melting varying combinations of the elements in an inert atmosphere and subsequent heat treating, and 2—sintering compressed mixtures of finely divided powders of the elements. In the latter method, the powders were first passed through 200 mesh screen and then compressed into cylinders of % in. diameter and % in. length, which were sintered at elevated temperatures in an atmosphere of dry hydrogen. For some samples, the sintering temperature was 1200°C (for 1 hr), and these were then heat- treated at lower temperatures for times up to 24 hr. Eventually it was found, for the proper composition, that essentially pure a phase could be produced by sintering at 1125°C for 3 hr. Quenching to room temperature was effected by means of a stream of cold, dry hydrogen in a water-cooled chamber. The arc-melting procedure was found to be unsatisfactory after an investigation of many samples at different compositions and temperatures. Large quantities of manganese were vaporized during melting and none of the products were homogeneous or contained extended regions of pure phase. Nonetheless, these experiments established that no formation occurs in the Mn-Mo system below 1115oC, and indicated, at least roughly, the composition range of interest for further exploration. The more definite results obtained from samples produced by the second method are given in Table I. A portion of sample 2 heated for 16 hr at 1000°C in a Vycor tube transformed to molybdenum plus unidentified phases of complex X-ray pattern. From these few results it appears that the region of phase is quite narrow in composition. It is of interest that the composition is such as to make for difficulties in correlating this structure on an electron atom basis with other a structures of iron, cobalt, and nickel. In that respect Mn-Mo shows the same anomaly as Mn-Cr and Mn-V systems.' A second feature is that in common with the two other known molybdenum (Fe-Mo and Co-Mo), Mn-Mo v exists only at elevated temperatures. The X-ray powder pattern of the pure a phase of Mn-Mo is given in Table 11. It agrees well with the patterns established for other structures, especially with that for Fe-Mo as given by Goldschmidt.An attempt is being made to establish whether an ordering of the respective atoms occurs and such information will be reported in a future publication. Acknowledgment The authors acknowledge gratefully the assistance of Mrs. J. R. Belanger in some portions of this work. References 'J. S. Kasper, B. F. Decker, and J. R. Belanger: Journal of Applied Physics (1951) 22, p. 361. 2 A. H. Sully: Journal Inst. Metals (1951) 80, p. 173. H. J. Goldschmidt: Research (1949) 2, p. 343.

Jan 1, 1954

By Donald L. Katz, Leslie J. Noaker

Experimental data are presented for hydrate formation conditions for mixtures of hydrogen sulfide and methane. Vapor-solid equilibrium constants for hydrogen sulfide are also presented. Equilibrium constants, defined here as the ratio of the mole fraction of hydrogen sulfide in the vapor phase (dry basis) to the mole fraction of hydrogen sulfide in the solid phase (dry basis), were calculated using the vapor-solid equilibrium constants for methane presented in an earlier paper. The conditions at which a natural gas will form gas hydrates with water may be computed from its composition, when hydrogen sulfide is present in addition to carbon dioxide and the paraffin hydrocarbons. INTRODUCTION Many gases are known to form solid hydrates in the presence of liquid water at temperatures above 32°F. This hydrate formation is of importance to the natural gas industry inasmuch as most of the constituents found in natural gases will form hydrates. The attention of the industry was called to hydrates by Hammer-schmidtl0 in 1934. A number of papers have been written giving the temperatures and pressures at which these hydrates will form3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,13,14,15,18,19 and a bibliography on the subject has been compiled13. Deaton and Frost4,5,6,7,8 report work for various pure gases and for some natural gases. Katz and co-workers3,4,13,14,18,19 have reported data for various gases at high pressure. They developed a method of predicting conditions for hydrate formation from equilibrium constants3,19 and from gab gravity." The effects of anti-freeze agents on the formation of hydrogen sulfide hydrate were reported by Bond and Nelson.' The hydrogen sulfide-water system, including hydrate, has been the subject of recent investigation by Sage and co-workers." Mixtures of hydrates behave as solid solutions and an equilibrium exists between the vapor phase and the solid phase that appears to be comparable to the equilibrium between vapor and liquid phases.3,10 By means of the vapor-solid equilibrium constants which have been published for methane, ethane, propane, iso-butane, and carbon dioxidel6 it is possible to determine the temperature and pressure at which hydrates will form for a specific gas mixture when water is present. Hydrogen sulfide which is frequently found in natural gases has a very strong tendency to form hydrate and must enter the solid solution when present in a natural gas forming a hydrate. To determine the effect of hydrogen sulfide when computing the conditions for gas hydrate formation, it is necessary to have the equilibrium constant giving the ratio of the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the gas phase to the concentration in the solid phase. This paper presents data on hydrate formation for mixtures of hydrogen sulfide and methane and presents the equilibrium constants which were calculated from these data. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The apparatus used to determine the conditions of hydrate formation for the methane-hydrogen sulfide system was similar to that employed by previous investigators.3,18,19 A charge gas cylinder was used to supply the hydrogen sulfide-methane mixtures, called the charge gas, and to supply the pressure up to 1.000 psia. This

Jan 1, 1955

By E. C. W. Perryman

On electropolishing, high-purity Cu-Sn and Cu-Sn-P alloys with more than 5 to 9 pct Sn were found to contain many grain boundaries with a ridge-and-furrow profile. The effect was not eliminated by solution treatment and was present at the new boundaries in recrystallized material. It could be produced by diffusing tin into the 3 pct Sn alloy and it is concluded that the effect is due to enrichment of certain boundaries in tin, or possibly in an impurity present in the tin, in solid solution. IN the hot working of tin bronzes, especially those with moderately high tin contents, considerable difficulty is frequently encountered from intercrystal-line weakness, which results in cracking at the edges in sheet on strip rolling and in the unsupported regions of the rod in rod rolling.' These difficulties are not at all pronounced with up to 3 pct Sn, but at 5 pct Sn impose serious limitations and at higher tin contents, especially if the phosphorus content is also high, they may become very severe. In some work carried out at the laboratories of The British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association it was found that a notable lack of ductility in tension at elevated temperatures, associated with intercrystal-line failure, was characteristic of tin bronzes even of relatively high purity. That the intercrystalline fracture is not due to a brittle or molten impurity phase at the grain boundaries was shown by the fact that the temperature at which intercrystalline fracture first occurred decreased with decrease of rate of straining. Tensile tests on some commercial tin bronzes, reported by Goetzel,² show a similar fall in ductility with increasing temperature. As no visual evidence had been obtained showing that the grain boundaries of the tin bronzes were different from those in copper, a more detailed microscopical examination was carried out, and the results of this are given in the present report. Several workers"' have observed that electrolytic polishing is a powerful tool for detecting small amounts of a second phase and in particular for detecting high solute concentrations, "equilibrium segregation," at grain boundaries. Since it had been found that the suggested solutions for electropolishing bronze and the standard solutions for brass and copper did not give satisfactory results it was first necessary to find a suitable electropolishing solution.' Experimental Procedure Materials Used: The cast and wrought materials used for this work were the same as those used for the mechanical tests referred to above. They comprised 3, 6, and 9 pct Sn alloys without phosphorus and the same three basic alloys with 0.03 and 0.4 pct P. A 5 pct Sn alloy without phosphorus, of similar purity, was also examined. The basis materials were Chempur tin, high purity 15 pct phosphor-copper and cathode copper, and spectrographic analyses are given in Table I. Treatment: The cathode copper was first melted under charcoal, degassed by plunging marble chips beneath the surface, and cast through a coal gas flame into sand molds to produce a number of small ingots which after machining were of a suitable size for subsequent vacuum melting. Chill cast bars of the alloys, approximately 1¼ in. in diameter, were then made by melting and casting in vacuo, the tern-

Jan 1, 1954

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

By B. Ehgartner, M. Karmis, C. Haycocks

INTRODUCTION Interaction effects between mining operations developed on different levels of contiguously placed bedded deposits are a major problem in many parts of the United States. Efficient design criteria, derived from careful analysis of field studies as well as theoretical and model analysis, have shown that many problems that may result from seam interaction can be avoided, minimized, or on occasion used with beneficial results. Selection of seam mining sequence is rarely based only on ground control considerations, but rather on factors such as seam ownership, characteristics and accessibility. Therefore all possible mining sequences and methods must be considered in the development of multi-seam design criteria. Increased utilization of the longwall method of mining creates special problems in multi-seam mining due to the inevitability of caving and, therefore, subsidence. Considerable valuable experience has been gained in this direction from British mining operations where interaction problems are extremely common and the longwall method is the primary method used. However, limitations persist in the application of much of this information to U.S. conditions due to variation in layouts between advancing and retreating longwall systems and the inherent difference in the geologic environment. Considerable field data is available for U.S. room and pillar operations, and where successful pillaring operations have been carried out close parallels may be drawn with ground control mechanisms in longwall operations. VARIABLES AFFECTING INTERACTION Analysis of ground control multi-seam problems shows that factors contributing to interaction may be classified into variables that are fixed by the geo- logic environment and those that depend on engineering design. These may be described as follows (Haycocks et al, 1982): Fixed: (i) Depth*, (ii) Innerburden thickness*, (iii) Innerburden physical characteristics*, (iv) Stress field, (v) Seam thickness, (vi) Coal characteristics, (vii) Completed mining operations either above or below the seam to ve mined, and (viii) Age of workings. Mining: (i) Height, (ii) Dimensions and geometry*, (iii) Method*, and (iv) Spatial location of entries* *These variables are regarded as being critical effects. Few attempts have been made to quantify the variables controlling interaction. Dunham's (1978) linear regression analysis, combined with the National Coal Board's MRDE Roadway Monogram, is probably the most noteworthy. This study involved eighteen multi- seam longwall mines in the United Kingdom. The following variables were taken into account: seam depth, pillar width, opening shape, floor and roof conditions, rate of face advance, vertical seam interval, and age and geometry of overlying workings. A multi-linear regression analysis of these variables fitted by appropriate field values developed a prediction equation for lower seam stability. Although the study included many variables, it neglected the nature or geology of the innerburden. The prediction equation was found unreliable, but it did show the significance of geometry as a factor controlling lower seam stability. MINING SEQUENCES Irrespective of the type of mining method selected only four possible mining sequences are possible for two seams. Finlay and Winstanley wrote in 1934. .. "Experience has shown that whether the upper or lower seam was worked first, the subsequent working of the other seam in the same area seriously affected the roads in the seam first worked." Those effects depended upon the four basic mining sequences: 1) The upper seam is mined out prior to mining the underlying seam; i.e., the seams are mined sequentially downward and mining of the underlying seam is not commenced until operations above are completed and have ceased.

Jan 1, 1982

By R. W. Parsons, P. R. Chaney

Oil recovery by the imbibition mechanism can be important in fractured carbonate reservoirs with a bottom water drive. Laboratory experiments were performed on water-wet carbonate rocks to model this process. The results are interpreted in light of the applicable scaling laws. The imbibition production behavior of a pillar of rock subjected to a slowly rising water table can be synthesized from data on total immersion experiments on small rock samples. If the rate of water table rise is slow enough and if the physical properties are such that the imbibition zone is of a small vertical extent, then only the final oil recovery on the small samples need be known. Applying laboratory imbibition data to a real reservoir should be done with caution because of possible wettability problems and the unknown behavior of two-phase flow in fractures. INTRODUCTION The spontaneous taking up of a preferential wetting fluid into a porous medium with the simultaneous expulsion of the contained fluid is termed imbibition. One of the many physical imbibition processes is the production of oil by the taking up of water into a water-wet reservoir rock. In certain types of heterogeneous reservoirs, e.g., fractured, it is realized that imbibition alone may be the dominant mechanism. Theoretical studies of imbibition oil recovery have followed several lines of attack. The behavior of certain mathematically tractable and conceptually simple models have been analyzed. Birks1 considered a bundle of vertical capillaries model, while Perotti et al.2 and Kelemen3 used a model of a series of vertically oriented fractures. If the oil production behavior from a block of reservoir rock is known, then the cumulative behavior of a vertical stack of these blocks subjected to a rising water table can be determined by a method outlined by Aronofsky et al. 4 Knowing the capillary pressure and relative permeability functions should uniquely set the imbibition behavior for a given sample. Solutions of the partial differential equations describing the process, however, present some formidable problems. Digital computer techniques have been applied to displacement processes in which the capillary pressure has been included.5"8 More recently, similar techniques have been used by Blair 9 to calculate countercurrent imbibition behavior. The fact that imbibition behavior is described by the usual fluid flow equations (Darcy's Law and continuity equation) implies that the derived scaling laws should apply equally to this situation. Use of model experiments to study imbibition has been employed by Graham and Richardson 10 and Mattax and Kyte,11 who actually tested the scaling law applicability. This study is concerned with scaled model imbibition experiments on water-wet carbonate rocks. Of particular interest is the slowly rising water table experiment. This simulates a highly fractured reservoir with the water table rising uniformly through the vertical fracture system. Experiments were performed on different sized samples and with different rates of rise of the water-oil interface surrounding the rock pillar. Total immersion imbibition experiments on smaller rock samples were performed to test the basic linear scaling laws and to see if these simpler tests could be used to synthesize the rising water table experimental results. THEORY IMBIBITION SCALING LAWS Scaling laws for the flow of two incompressible immiscible fluids in a porous medium have been presented by Rapoport.12 These are derived directly from Darcy's Law for the individual phases and the continuity equation. Results from a laboratory model experiment will duplicate those from some reservoir prototype if a constant proportion is maintained among the three forces acting on the fluids — the capillary pressure gradient, the gravitational gradient and the flowing pressure gradient. Operation of the model (i.e., fluid injection or withdrawal) must be conducted in accordance with specific equations. If the

Jan 1, 1967

By G. W. Doepel, W. P. Sibley

A three-dimensional, multilayer, mathematical model has been developed for predicting performance by mis-c.ible displacement. Areal and vertical coverage, total gas-oil ratio, propane-oil ratio and oil-recovery factor for the multilayer system are computed as functions of hydrocarbon pore volumes of solvent injected. The technique has been programed for use on the IBM-7090 digital computer and was used in calculating perfortnance for continuous miscible displacement of a five-spot, 50-layer .system. Results reported are based on the use of published laboratory data for a single, uniform five-spot layer. However, the technique is sufficiently generalized to calculate performance of any system of layers of any pattern configuration and mobility ratio, provided data are available to describe perfortilance of a single layer. The technique has also been adapted for predicting oil recovery resulting from various gas-driven slug sizes. The results presented for both continuous and slug-type injection show, that permeability variation has 0 significant effect on oil recovery but that solvent composition, within the range studied, has a lesser effect on oil recovery. INTRODUCTION Experience from many of the miscible-phase displacement projects currently in operation indicates that the injected solvent flows preferentially through the more permeable zones in the reservoir. This preferential solvent flow in the high-permeability streaks results in a reduction of vertical coverage (C,) and an attendant decrease in oil recovery. The multilayer technique presented in this paper uses areal coverage (C.,) data for a single layer from the literature and from laboratory measurements of displacement efficiency (herein referred to as microscopic coverage, C,,) to calculate areal coverage (C,) and vertical coverage (C,) for the multilayer system. Oil recovery for the multilayer system is obtained as the product of (Ca) (Cm) (Cv). It is assumed that C, in a single layer is 100 per cent; therefore, (C,) (Cm) is a measure of oil recovery from that layer. Data presented in the literature for a single layer generally deal only with areal coverage and/or microscopic coverage —but seldom specifically with oil recovery. Nevertheless, this technique is flexible in that either Ca and C,, of an individual layer or a direct measurement of oil recovery for the layer may be used. In developing this technique, the problem arose concerning a method of determining the relative amounts of solvent that will enter each layer during any increment of solvent injected. To solve the problem, a dimensionless equation was derived for expressing solvent injected into each layer as a fraction of total injection. A finite-difference method was applied in integrating the equation to determine oil recovery for the system of layers as a function of pore volumes injected. The technique subsequently was programed for solution on a digital computer. The method was applied to predict performance of a deep California reservoir under continuous miscible displacement and has been extended for calculating oil recovery as a function of slug size for gas-driven slug injection. The technique may be applied to any petroleum reservoir that can be adequately represented as a layered system, by considering permeability variation,1-3 permeability range and average permeability. Each layer is then assigned its appropriate permeability, porosity and hydrocarbon saturation. RESERVOIR VOLUME CONTACTED BY SOLVENT It has been recognized for some time that high microscopic coverage (C,) can be obtained by injecting a miscible agent, such as propane, into an oil reservoir. These high values of C,,, have been demonstrated in the laboratory and are normally between 80 and 100 per cent, depending on solvent and reservoir oil composition as well as on reservoir temperature and pressure. In miscible-phase displacement, because there is no interface between solvent and oil, effective permeability to solvent is the same as that to oil. (This assumes that oil saturation has not changed and that water is immobile.) Consequently, mobility ratio (M) simply reduces to that of viscosity ratio . Perrine4 and Habermann5 have shown that large

By M. E. True, B. L. Stone

To cope with the problems encountered when drilling at greater depths and to reduce the amount of physical effort required on the part of drilling crews in making round trips, a new type of semiautomatic power-operated drilling machinery has been developed which permits round trips to be made without the drill pipe being touched by hand. This equipment consists of hy-draulically operated tongs which perform the stabbing, spinning, and tong-ing operations, and two power-operated racking units mounted in the derrick for carrying the pipe to and from the center of the hole and positioning it on the mat and in the rack. With this equipment all of the operations of the various units are controlled remotely by manipulation of hydraulic valve levers and electric switches. INTRODUCTION As horsepower rises to meet the demand for deeper drilling, it is necessary to increase the weight of surface drilling equipment. Also, the duration of repetitive operations in making round trips to change bits is greatly increased with depth. Harder formations encountered at greater depths reduce bit life rapidly, resulting in more frequent round trips and in some instances more time is consumed in changing bits than in drilling. Since the introduction of the first rotary employed to drill for oil in 18951, there has been relatively little change in the general procedure for making up, breaking out, stabbing, and racking drill pipe in making round trips to change bits. The conventional method of making round trips with the drill pipe requires that drilling crews lend strenuous physical assistance to manually operated tools. Although many new devices have been developed to improve efficiency, increase speed of making round trips, improve safety, and reduce the amount of physical effort required in handling drill pipe, it is considered a vital necessity to substitute automatic or semiautomatic power-operated machinery for many of our more or less manual operations if extremely deep drilling is to be carried out successfully on a production basis in the same manner as our shallower drilling of today. Field tests have been made of remotely controlled power-operated tongs, spinner, stabber, and racking equipment. The tongs, which include a built-in pipe spinner, are mounted on a column, are capable of gripping and supporting the weight of a 90-foot stand of drill pipe, and are provided with means for moving the pipe vertically as well as to and from the center of the hole. The racking equipment consists of two units, one at the level of the conventional monkey board and the other at the first girth on the ladder side of the derrick. Most of the physical effort of making round trips with drill pipe has been eliminated in that all of the operations of tonging, spinning, stabbing, and racking of pipe on the floor are controlled by an operator in a seated position by manipulation of hydraulic and electric valve levers and buttons. The driller is relieved of operating the cathead, leaving only the hoisting and slips to be controlled. Complete round trips are made without the drill pipe being touched by the drilling crews. Although the speed of pulling or running a single stand with the power-operated equipment is approximately the same as that with conventional equipment, it is possible to maintain this rate for long periods, whereas fatigue slows crews working conventionally during round trips, especially under adverse weather. After completing round trips with this equipment, drilling crews are not exhausted, consequently, are able to perform effectively their duties while drilling, which is essential for maximum over-all efficiency. Safety is substantially improved as the derrickman performs his duties from a platform enclosed by rails and the tong lines and spinning chain are eliminated from the derrick floor. The hazards encountered in racking drill pipe on the floor and in stabbing are also eliminated. Figure 1 shows a drawing of a derrick equipped with the power-operated drill'pipe handling equipment.

Jan 1, 1949

By Pol Duwez

The effect of the rate of cooling on titanium, zirconium, and thallium has been measured. For titanium-molybdenum alloys, it has been shown that for molybdenum concentration up to 8 pct the rate of cooling has no effect on the transformation temperature, but this temperature decreases progressively with increasing molybdenum content. HIGH strength to weight ratio and remarkable corrosion resistance have often been advanced as the main reasons for the present widespread interest in titanium. For the physical metallurgist, the existence of an allotropic transformation in titanium is another important factor. As in the case of iron, an allotropic transformation may be the fundamental property upon which the response of Ti-base alloys to heat treatment will depend. It is therefore important to study the mechanism of the allotropic transformation in pure titanium and the effect of alloying elements on this transformation. The existence of an allotropic transformation in titanium was reported in 1931 by Schulze.' Later, De Boer et al.' determined the transformation temperature from a discontinuity in the electrical resistivity at 882"42O°C. According to recent work," the transformation temperature is 882.5"&1°C. The crystal structure of the room temperature a phase is hexagonal close-packed and the high temperature fi phase is body-centered cubic.' It is well known that the high temperature /3 phase of pure titanium cannot be retained by quenching to room temperature. Several investigators'-' have shown that in alloys of titanium with metals which are soluble in the @ phase (for example, nickel, molybdenum, chromium, or manganese), the /3 structure can be retained, providing the concentration of the alloying element is greater than a certain critical value. Below this critical value, the alloys transform during quenching, at least partially, into a supersaturated solid solution having the a. structure. This behavior is very similar to that found in some iron binary alloys (Fe-Ni and Fe-Mh, for example) and is an indication that the transformation might occur by means of a shear mechanism analogous to that observed in the austenite-martensite reaction. The present investigation is mostly concerned with the effect of the rate of cooling on the /3 to a transformation. In the first portion of this paper, the results obtained on pure titanium are described. Two other pure metals, zirconium and thallium, were also investigated, because they both have an allotropic transformation like titanium, from an hexagonal close-packed to a body-centered cubic structure. For purposes of comparison, the effect of rate of cooling of the y to a transformation of iron was included in the experimental program. The second part of this paper deals with Ti-Mo alloys. The equilibrium phase boundaries involving the solid state reactions on the Ti-rich side of the system were determined and a study was made of the effect of the rate of cooling on the transformation of the high temperature /3 solid solution. Experimental Procedure Since the main object of the present investigation was the determination of the effect of the rate of cooling on a transformation temperature, the best technique available was that used by Greninger" in his study of the martensite arrest in carbon steels. This method consists of heating a very small sample of metal to which fine thermocouple wires are .attached, cooling the sample rapidly by means of a blast of helium, and recording the temperature vs. time curve on an oscillograph. The apparatus used in the present experiments was very similar to that described by Greninger, except that the heating coil was made of molybdenum wire (0.040 in. in diam) and the assembly was placed in a bell jar under vacuum of 10" mm Hg or less. The specimen con-

Jan 1, 1952

By M. E. True, B. L. Stone

To cope with the problems encountered when drilling at greater depths and to reduce the amount of physical effort required on the part of drilling crews in making round trips, a new type of semiautomatic power-operated drilling machinery has been developed which permits round trips to be made without the drill pipe being touched by hand. This equipment consists of hy-draulically operated tongs which perform the stabbing, spinning, and tong-ing operations, and two power-operated racking units mounted in the derrick for carrying the pipe to and from the center of the hole and positioning it on the mat and in the rack. With this equipment all of the operations of the various units are controlled remotely by manipulation of hydraulic valve levers and electric switches. INTRODUCTION As horsepower rises to meet the demand for deeper drilling, it is necessary to increase the weight of surface drilling equipment. Also, the duration of repetitive operations in making round trips to change bits is greatly increased with depth. Harder formations encountered at greater depths reduce bit life rapidly, resulting in more frequent round trips and in some instances more time is consumed in changing bits than in drilling. Since the introduction of the first rotary employed to drill for oil in 18951, there has been relatively little change in the general procedure for making up, breaking out, stabbing, and racking drill pipe in making round trips to change bits. The conventional method of making round trips with the drill pipe requires that drilling crews lend strenuous physical assistance to manually operated tools. Although many new devices have been developed to improve efficiency, increase speed of making round trips, improve safety, and reduce the amount of physical effort required in handling drill pipe, it is considered a vital necessity to substitute automatic or semiautomatic power-operated machinery for many of our more or less manual operations if extremely deep drilling is to be carried out successfully on a production basis in the same manner as our shallower drilling of today. Field tests have been made of remotely controlled power-operated tongs, spinner, stabber, and racking equipment. The tongs, which include a built-in pipe spinner, are mounted on a column, are capable of gripping and supporting the weight of a 90-foot stand of drill pipe, and are provided with means for moving the pipe vertically as well as to and from the center of the hole. The racking equipment consists of two units, one at the level of the conventional monkey board and the other at the first girth on the ladder side of the derrick. Most of the physical effort of making round trips with drill pipe has been eliminated in that all of the operations of tonging, spinning, stabbing, and racking of pipe on the floor are controlled by an operator in a seated position by manipulation of hydraulic and electric valve levers and buttons. The driller is relieved of operating the cathead, leaving only the hoisting and slips to be controlled. Complete round trips are made without the drill pipe being touched by the drilling crews. Although the speed of pulling or running a single stand with the power-operated equipment is approximately the same as that with conventional equipment, it is possible to maintain this rate for long periods, whereas fatigue slows crews working conventionally during round trips, especially under adverse weather. After completing round trips with this equipment, drilling crews are not exhausted, consequently, are able to perform effectively their duties while drilling, which is essential for maximum over-all efficiency. Safety is substantially improved as the derrickman performs his duties from a platform enclosed by rails and the tong lines and spinning chain are eliminated from the derrick floor. The hazards encountered in racking drill pipe on the floor and in stabbing are also eliminated. Figure 1 shows a drawing of a derrick equipped with the power-operated drill'pipe handling equipment.

Jan 1, 1949

By Robert C. Emmett, Donald A. Dahlstrom

FOR many years gravitational classification has been employed as a basic tool in beneficiation of minerals and coal. While improvements have been made to increase efficiency and fields of application, the basic flow pattern has remained relatively unchanged in most gravitational classifiers. Feed slurry is introduced into a settling pool wherein the coarser solids settle against either an upward or horizontal fluid current, or a combination of both, and are withdrawn in a concentrated underflow stream. The finer solids below the classification point possess too low a settling velocity and thus are primarily swept out through a weir overflow by the bulk of the fluid. Because of its simplicity, efficiency, and low power and maintenance costs, gravitational classification finds a wide acceptance for separations in the range of 20 to 325 mesh. Two factors resulting from the basic flow pattern employed in gravitational classification present difficult problems for certain installations. If classification at 60 to 200 mesh of separation is desired, capacity in terms of gallons of overflow per minute per square foot of settling pool area must be low to allow required solids to settle to the underflow. If a thousand or more gal per min of feed slurry must be handled, either a very large classifier or a number of smaller units must be employed, taking up floor space and head room. Examples of this are the large classifiers, wetting tanks, or settling tanks used in the coal industry for recovery of process water from fine solids. Units as large as 50 or 60 ft in diam and 60 ft high, requiring substantial amounts of steel, are not uncommon. A second factor is the lack of self-regulation in gravitational classification. As overflow rate increases, mesh of separation increases correspond-ingly. This normally heightens difficulties of bene-ficiation. If a fine mesh of separation is required at varying feed rates, the problem is more than doubled in complexity. One of the primary advantages of gravitational classification is low power requirement. Gravity feeds or very low pressure heads are employed. However, fluid energy is still present in the inlet stream and provision must be made to dissipate it properly to obtain uniform upward or horizontal currents. Rather than waste this energy, it would be desirable to utilize it to secure a greater degree of self-regulation and simultaneously increase classification capacity per square foot of area. A free vortex could be realized by a tangential entry of feed, resulting in generation of centrifugal force to complement force of gravity in its action. With greater force it should be possible to gain finer separation at any overflow rate per square foot of settling pool area as compared with conventional gravitational classification. Furthermore, as feed rate increases, centrifugal force will also increase and at least partially offset faster currents sweeping solid particles to the overflow. A more stable classification point should result. The liquid-solid cyclone is the most common application of a free vortex in the beneficiation field.' Many previous papers have emphasized uniformity of flow pattern within the cyclone which is largely responsible for the sharp classification that can be obtained.'-4 If a free vortex can be maintained in a non-pressurized vessel with a free surface it may be possible to realize a third advantage of sharper classification. This open-top cyclone would then achieve a minimum energy loss comparable to that with conventional classifiers, and a mesh of separation coarser than 150 mesh, extending the range of application of the free vortex. This is not presently possible with ordinary cyclones. To test the applicability of the free vortex to gravitational classification, a 30-in. diameter open-top cyclone was constructed at Northwestern University. The cylindrical section was 30 in. high and the conical section included an angle of 60". The feed nozzle was a standard 4-in. pipe entering tan-gentially, with centerline 17 1/2 in. below the top of the cyclone. The conical section was flanged near

Jan 1, 1954

By Elmer A. Jones

Development work in mines of St. Joseph Lead Co., Southeast Missouri, using trackless loading equipment shows definite advantages: Speed of cleaning, ability to work on steep grades and sharp crosscuts, good later tracking conditions, and possibility of wasting rock in old abandoned stopes. THE Desloge mine is one of a group of mines owned by the St. Joseph Lead Co., in the so-called Lead Belt of Southeast Missouri. It has been operating approximately 40 years producing a daily tonnage ranging from 1600 to 3800, depending on various factors. On an average, the present mine is 300 ft deep with an extreme extent of 2.7 miles by 1.7 miles. Most of the present mining is in the lower horizons of the Bonne Terre dolomite, a fairly soft rock requiring no support except occasional channel iron and roof pins. Due to the contour of the underlying sandstone and porphyry, some development work has been through short stretches of these different formations. In some areas the lower part of the dolomite is quite sandy and generally is considered abrasive. Sizes and Methods of Drifting Have Changed: Development work has, like other phases of mining, changed considerably in the last 20 years, from cleaning by hand to the use of a mechanical method. The conception of a standard drift has also changed. Before the advent of mechanical loading in stopes there were many pieces of main line drift averaging 7 ft high x 9 ft wide. With the coming of the St. Joe shovel the drift was increased to 8 ft high x 10 ft ELMER A. JONES, Member AIME, is Assistant General Mine Superintendent, St. Joseph Lead Co., Bonne Terre, Mo. AIME Columbus Meeting, September 1949. TP 2859 A. Discussion (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before July 31, 1950. Manuscript received Sept. 16, 1949. wide. Now with the Joy loader and shuttle car, a 9x11 ft drift is coming to be standard size. Methods of cutting drifts have changed considerably over the last few years. Some changes in drilling equipment have been made such as reducing the weight of column, clamp, air feed, and fittings to go with the HC10 Cleveland jackhamer. Other changes have been made in drill steel such as the use of detachable bits; throw-away variety, screw type, and the tungsten-carbide insert bits. Later developments have introduced spiral-welded pipe with victaulic couplings, millisecond exploders, bulky powder, and the use of electric cap lamps. Experimental work is going on continually in various phases of development work, some to be tried and discarded, others gradually to become standard practice. To sum up, the standard method of development now in use at Desloge is as follows: The work is done on a two-shift cycle 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Two men known as development drillers comprise a crew on each shift. These two men arrive at their work about 7:30 to find a round blasted by the previous shift. After scaling down back and walls they proceed to the cleaning operation, using either a Joy loader and shuttle car, a drag hoist mounted on a slide ramp, or an Eimco Finlay to load into a 21/2 ton mine car. Cleaning may take from 2 to 4 hr depending on conditions such as length of round broken, length of haul, and other variables. After fitting up pipe and setting up columns and drills they are ready to drill a round which should measure 9 ft high x 11 ft wide and break from 5 to 7 ft advance. This may also take from 2 to 3 hr. Then they are ready to charge and

Jan 1, 1951