Search Documents

By Arthur F. Taggart

THIS paper proposes two units (believed to be new) for designating, respectively, capacity and efficiency for primary and intermediate crushers. CAPACITY Operators know that the tonnage of rock that can be put through a particular crusher in a given time depends primarily upon the crusher setting (open setting for jaw and primary gyratory types; closed setting for cones and rolls), and secondarily on the lithological character of the feed, its maximum size, the amount of fines that it carries, its moisture content, and the method of feeding. The proposed capacity formula states a relationship between all of these factors in one empirical equation, as follows: TR = TR80KK'K" [I] in which TR, called "reduction tons per hour" is the new capacity unit; T = tons of feed per hour requiring crushing; R50 = "80-per cent reduction ratio"; and K, K', and K" are constants that approximate quantitatively lithological character, moisture content and method of feeding, respectively. T is the hourly weight of material in the feed that is coarser than the coarsest discharge of the crusher. (For marked departures from the normal specific-gravity range-2.5 to 2.7-T should be adjusted to corresponding volumes.) In the crushers under consideration, discharge from the crushing zone is limited by the minimum dimension of a particle. Passage of the particle through a square-mesh screen is limited by its intermediate dimension. Sheppard' has shown that the ratio of maximum: intermediate: minimum average dimensions of broken rock fragments may be taken as about I.5: I: 0.6 for nonslabby rocks such as are normally crushed, while for slabby rocks, such as thin-bedded sedimentaries, foliated schists and gneisses, and the blocky metamorphics, the ratio is of the average order I.3:I:0.3, with the possibility of an even smaller relative value for the thickness. Gaudin2 finds the corresponding ratio for -150 + 200-mesh pyrite to be I.4: I : 0.6. The hourly tonnage of crusher-plant feed, therefore, should be diminished by the amount thereof that would pass a square-mesh screen of which the aperture is S times the crusher setting, where S is a shape factor with the value I.7 for rocks that break exceptionally cubic; 2 for ores and rocks that exhibit no appreciable tendency to slabbiness; and 2.5 to 3, or, in exceptional cases, even larger, when the tendency to slabbiness is marked. R80 is the quotient of the theoretical square-mesh aperture that would pass 8o per cent of the feed, divided by the aperture that would pass S0 per cent of the product. It is best determined from screen tests.

Jan 1, 1941

By L. G. Jones

The objective of this paper is to present a better method for determining reservoir reserves of gas from extended drawdown test data. Means are proposed for conducting the test with or without the requirement of prior build-up to a static reservoir pressure. The test is based upon solutions to unsteady-state gas flow developed in an earlier paper and is believed to be superior to previous methods for determining reserves from flow-test data. The limitatiom of such tests are discussed, with emphasis on the subject of test duration. The test can supply useful information if the mechanics and limitations of it are understood. This type of information can be particularly valuable in deciding whether or not to drill offsets to producing wells. INTRODUCTION In the life of any gas or oil field, the engineer in charge must decide if certain wells need stimulation and whether or not to drill more wells in the field. Well production tests can aid in making these decisions. For instance, the value of stimulation can be estimated by determining formation permeability and the amount of well damage from drawdown or build-up tests. These tests are freely used in the oil industry. A less well-known type of analysis uses data from extended drawdown tests for determining reservoir reserves. Into this category fits the "reservoir limit test" of Jones,'-3 and the "reservoir reserve test" presented in this paper. The chief value of these tests is their ability to "see" reservoir boundaries and thus prevent costly dry holes. Methods for determining reserves of both gas and oil reservoirs were proposed in the work of Jones. His proposals appear sound for single-phase liquid flow. The generality of his work on gas flow is open to question, however, since the analysis is based upon solutions to liquid-flow equations. The test for gas reserves presented here is derived from unsteady-state gas-flow solutions presented in a previous paper.' In deriving this reservoir reserve test, it has been assumed that all of the reservoir energy is provided by expansion of the reservoir fluid and that the reservoir is radially symmetrical. No mention has been made of the effects of deviations from Darcy's law such as quadratic (turbulent) flow and well damage. Since the terms representing these effects are function of rate only, since the rate is constant and since the data are plotted in a differential form, it seems reasonable that these terms will not affect the test results in any way. No attempt has been made to estimate the effects of water drive, faults, or other departures from an idealized and isolated reservoir. For a qualitative discussion of some of these effects, the reader is referred to a paper by Jones3

By Lester C. Uren

THIS paper reviews the industrial trends and changes in educational concepts that have led to the development of the modern petroleum engineering curriculum. A trend toward emphasis on engineering fundamentals is noted. While most universities are committed to the traditional four-year engineering program, it is agreed that more than four years is necessary for academic preparation of the petroleum engineer in all phases of his profession. The author proposes a coordinated program of undergraduate and graduate training that will permit of adherence to the general pattern of the present four-year engineering course, with provision for extension of the program into specialized graduate courses of professional character. In the latter, emphasis may vary with the interests and objectives of the individual student. A specific undergraduate curriculum is proposed in which upward of 80 per cent of the available time is devoted to engineering fundamentals. A broad survey of the professional field is afforded in courses grouped in the third and fourth undergraduate years, but detailed treatment of the professional aspects of petroleum engineering is reserved for the graduate program. INTRODUCTION Of necessity, engineering curricula must ever be changing to reflect the new techniques, the changing concepts that are presented as the engineering industries develop and unfold. Particularly is this true of the younger engineering curricula representing comparatively new and rapidly changing industries such as the petroleum industry. Institutions that planned their petroleum engineering curricula a decade or two ago now find that the petroleum industry has become vastly more technical in its requirements. Entirely new methods and techniques have come into vogue and must be given place in the curriculum, and some of these are of a character that demands changing emphasis in the fundamental preparatory subjects. College and university faculties cannot complacently assume that curricula in this field that were considered appropriate 10 or 20 years ago still reflect the needs of the industry that they are designed to serve. If they do, their graduates will be poorly equipped to meet the requirements imposed upon them by a rapidly changing industry. Perhaps it is not too much to expect academic authorities to anticipate the trends of industry and equip their graduates with what they will need to attain leadership 10 or 20 years after graduation. Whether or not this desirable objective is possible, there is no excuse for allowing curricula to fall behind the current needs of industry. DURATION OF CURRICULUM The majority of our engineering schools and colleges still adhere to the four-year curricula and there appears to be a definite - sentiment among many engineers engaged in industry that work should be so planned that the engineering student may secure the essential academic preparation for his profession in a terminal four-year program. Yet, in recent years, it has become increasingly apparent that four years of

Jan 1, 1941

By E. I. Organick, B. H. Golding

A simple correlation is presented for the prediction of saturation pressures in condensate-gas and volatile-oil mixtures. Saturation pressure is related directly to the composition of the mixture with the aid of two generalized composition characteristics, B, the molal average boiling point, and W, the modified weight average equivalent molecular weight. The need for hydrocarbon equilibrium constants is entirely eliminated. Only the values of the two conlposition parameters need be obtained, and these are calculated in a simple and reproducible manner from the stream analysis of the mixture and the ASTM distillation for the heavy ends. The correlation is given .in the form of a set of 14 working charts in which saturation pressures, either retrograde dew points or bubble points, are plotted cs temperature, forming partial phase envelopes for mixtures having discrete values of the composition parameters, B and Wul. A locus of critical states on each chart intersects the partial phase envelopes, distinguishing retrograde dew point pressures from bubble pressures. A comparison Between experimental and predicted saturation pressures reveals that: the probable error of the predicted values, when considering the data as a whole (214 experimental points), is five per cent; for high gasjoil ratio condensate fluids (approximately 40.000 or more cu ft/bbl) the probable error is about 8 per cent. In either case, however, the probable error is comparable with the overall uncertainty of the data from which the correlation is derived. INTRODUCTION There is a present need for a simplified, yet reasonably accurate method for predicting upper phase boundaries of reservoir fluids. In the case of high gas/oil ratio fluids, namely the so-called highly volatile oils and the condensate gases, no simple method, accurate within 5 to 10 per cent, is now available by which bubble point and retrograde dew point pressures may be predicted. In order to calculate the upper phase boundary of a volatile reservoir fluid, using correlations now available, it is necessary to find and employ the proper K-values (equilibrium volatility ratios of the hydrocarbons in that fluid). This process of finding the Proper K-values usually involves a double trial and error computation. Since the K-values are in themselves dependent upon the composition of the fluid, their use in the calculation of a saturation pressure actually represents an unnecessary complication. The correlation described in this paper relates saturation pressure directly to the stream composition, entirely eliminating the need for K-values. The only data required to calculate the Stream composition are obtained from the customary low temperature fractional analyses of separator gas and liquidt and from the ASTM distillation of the c,+ fraction of the separator liquid. A considerable simplification in the procedure for predicting saturation pressures is thereby effected without significant loss in accuracy. BASIS FOR A CORRELATION Empirical relationships between the saturation pressure and the composition of the fluid in question have already been partially explored by one of the authors.V n particular, a relationship between the critical pressure for a hydrocarbon mixture and its composition was developed. The critical pressure is in reality a saturation pressure, as it repregents a limiting case either of a dew point or of a buhhle point pressure for any given mixture. It was found that the critical pressure may be correlated as a function of two generalized composition characteristics or variables. One characteristic expressed a molal average prop-erty, the other a weight average property of the mixture. Specifically, the molal average boiling point (MABP, or B as it

Jan 1, 1952

By F. D. Wright

Production of a coal preparation plant is governed by many restrictions, such as the tonnage of different products and blends that can be sold within a given period, capacities and output proportions of the cleaning and sizing units, blending proportions, quality specifications, and costs and prices for the various products. Determination of the tonnage of each product and blend that should be made in order to obtain the maximum profit can be difficult unless a systematic method such as linear programming is used. In this paper the basic method of linear programming is described briefly. The Old Ben No. 9 preparation plant is used as an example to illustrate in detail how eqwations can be written to form a linear programming model of a coal preparation plant. Three sample problems, each requiring 56 or more equations and 63 structural variables, were solved with an IBM 650 computer. Linear programming is one of several mathematical tools used for operations research. It has been applied to many fields and has been used by a number of industries either to maximize the profits of certain operations or to minimize costs. P. B. Nalle and L. W. weeks' have described the use of the method by the Riverside Cement Co. to minimize the cost of blending raw materials to make portland cement. Their problem is to obtain at minimum cost a mix with certain specifications from a number of possible materials which have various costs and various amounts of CaO, SiO2, Fe2O3, and other constituents. In a paper on the use of linear programming by the National Coal Board in England, K. B. Williams and K. B. Halley2 describe how the transportation method, a variation of linear programming, is used to minimize the cost of sending 37 grades of coal from 28 mines to seven central washing plants which produce coal for furnace coke and foundry coke. The various coals have different percentages of volatile matter, moisture, sulfur, ash, and phosphorous, so there is considerable choice in how they can be blended to meet the specifications of the two products. The purpose of this paper is to show how linear programming can be used to maximize the profits of a coal washing plant which produces individual final products as well as blends. The Old Ben Corp. furnished assumed sample data from their Old Ben Mine No. 9 preparation plant for this investigation. However, the data that have been used are entirely the author's responsibility. METHOD OF LINEAR PROGRAMMING Numerous articles and books have been written on the theory and applications of linear programming.3-5 However, since the method has not been widely applied by the mining industry, a brief, nontheo-retical discussion of its basic method seems to be in order. Linear programming (Table I) is used to determine the best possible solution to a number of interdependent activities. It is essentially a method for making systematic selections from a number of possible solutions to determine positively the optimum solution. There may be other equally good solutions but no better ones. Each activity must have linear coefficients and there must be a criterion to judge how good the solution actually is. Linear programming is different from the solution

Jan 1, 1961

By L. D. Wooddy, W D. Moore

Water drives may be natural or artificial. For the case of a natural water-drive reservoir, the volume of water influx corresponding to reservoir pressuve-production history may be calculated by means of the material bal-ance-unsteady state equation. For the artificial water drive or pattern injection water flood, the material balance equation is sufficient to determine the reservoir pressure-production, injection history. However, for both cases to reliably predict reservoir performance, it is necessary to calculate the saturation distribution of the reservoir fluids at different stages of depletion. This paper consolidates the various equations used to determine the performance of water-drive reservoirs into one approach that is applicable to any reservoir that has a natural water drive or is to be produced by water injection. The numerical procedure has been simplified considerably, and the solution is adaptable to either hand calculations or digital computer operation. INTRODUCTION A water-drive reservoir is one in which the predominant source of energy for production of oil results from the encroachment of water into the oil zone. The water drive may be either natural or artificial. Water invasion takes place by expansion of water in the aquifer as a result of the pressure decline transmitted from the oil reservoir. Because water is practically incompressible, a natural water drive requires an extensive aquifer containing a volume of water many times the volume of oil in the reservoir. Provided the permeability of the formation is reasonably high, a moderate decline of reservoir pressure usually causes adequate water influx. If the reservoir pressure decline becomes excessive because of low permeability or a high rate of production, part of the oil production may result from the liberation of dissolved gas which may cause excessive quantities of free gas to be produced along with the oil. In extreme cases, reservoir pressure may decline so rapidly as to cause the oil to be produced predominantly by dissolved gas drive, leading to abandonment of the reservoir before the advancing water has had a chance to flush the entire reservoir. In reservoirs that are not connected to extensive aquifers, an artificial water drive may be created by injecting water into or around the lower edges of a reservoir. Sometimes water is injected within the reservoir through wells interspersed among the producing wells. When injection is carried out in such fashion, the reservoir is in effect subdivided into a number of separate producing segments, in each of which the displacement of oil is simultaneously taking place, and the shapes of which are fixed by the well patterns employed. Because of the natural tendency of oil and water to segregate according to their relative densities, water will tend to migrate downdip regardless of where injected. Accordingly, the injected fluids can be retained within the intended reservoir segments only when conditions are unfavorable to their migration under the force of gravity. Pattern injections are usually confined, therefore, to reservoirs having low structural relief, or low permeability, or when production and injection rates are such that fluid movements in the reservoir are dominated by the pressure gradients rather than by the force of gravity. In the case of natural water-drive reservoirs and artificial water-drive reservoirs in which the water is in-

Jan 1, 1958

By A. S. Nowick, E. S. Machlin

One of the main criteria used to rate the heat-resisting properties of alloys is stress rupture.' During a stress-rupture test a tensile specimen is held under a constant load at a constant temperature until it fractures. The chief measurement made during this test is the time requird for rupture at the specific test stress and temperature. It was found empirically from a series of stress-rupture tests at a constant temperature that when the logarithm of the time for rupture is plotted against the logarithm of stress a straight line is obtained within experimental error This method of showing stress-rupture data has been adopted by many investigators and the NACA.' By interpolation and extrapolation from these plots, values of the stresses required to rupture the specimens (the rupture strengths) in 10, roo, and 1000 hr are obtained for specific temperatures. Alloys are then rated for a particular application on the basis of their rupture strengths at the rupture life that most nearly represents the application. Inasmuch as stress rupture is an important criterion in rating heat-resisting alloys, it would be advantageous to know the quantitative dependence of the time lor rupture on stress, temperature, composition, and structure. In order to obtain this information, an investigation was made at the NACA Cleveland laboratory during the spring of 1945. The theory of rate processes was used because it has been found to apply to certain processes such as chemical reactions, viscous flow, and creep that occur at a definite rate for given conditions. It was thought that stress rupture was such a process. An equation was derived that gives, for a given composition and structure, the dependence of the time for rupture on stress and temperature. The investigation is part of a general program to provide information that will lead ultimately to the development of better alloys in order that the efliciency and power output of gas turbines used in aircraft propulsion can be increased. Theory The theory of rate processes will first be discussed as a general theory. It will then be shown that if stress rupture of heat-resisting alloys can be treated as a rate process, certain equations must be satisfied. Later sections will then show that these equations are satisfied. General Theory of Rate Processes The theory of rate processes5 developed by Eyring and others has been applied to chemical reactions as well as to other processes such as viscosity of liquids and diffusion. In every case in which rate-process theory can be applied, there is a small subdivision, so that the macroscopic process is the net effect of all the small processes. This smallest subdivision is called the "unit process." For example, in a chemical reaction the unit process is

Jan 1, 1948

By A. S. Nowick, E. S. Machlin

One of the main criteria used to rate the heat-resisting properties of alloys is stress rupture.' During a stress-rupture test a tensile specimen is held under a constant load at a constant temperature until it fractures. The chief measurement made during this test is the time requird for rupture at the specific test stress and temperature. It was found empirically from a series of stress-rupture tests at a constant temperature that when the logarithm of the time for rupture is plotted against the logarithm of stress a straight line is obtained within experimental error This method of showing stress-rupture data has been adopted by many investigators and the NACA.' By interpolation and extrapolation from these plots, values of the stresses required to rupture the specimens (the rupture strengths) in 10, roo, and 1000 hr are obtained for specific temperatures. Alloys are then rated for a particular application on the basis of their rupture strengths at the rupture life that most nearly represents the application. Inasmuch as stress rupture is an important criterion in rating heat-resisting alloys, it would be advantageous to know the quantitative dependence of the time lor rupture on stress, temperature, composition, and structure. In order to obtain this information, an investigation was made at the NACA Cleveland laboratory during the spring of 1945. The theory of rate processes was used because it has been found to apply to certain processes such as chemical reactions, viscous flow, and creep that occur at a definite rate for given conditions. It was thought that stress rupture was such a process. An equation was derived that gives, for a given composition and structure, the dependence of the time for rupture on stress and temperature. The investigation is part of a general program to provide information that will lead ultimately to the development of better alloys in order that the efliciency and power output of gas turbines used in aircraft propulsion can be increased. Theory The theory of rate processes will first be discussed as a general theory. It will then be shown that if stress rupture of heat-resisting alloys can be treated as a rate process, certain equations must be satisfied. Later sections will then show that these equations are satisfied. General Theory of Rate Processes The theory of rate processes5 developed by Eyring and others has been applied to chemical reactions as well as to other processes such as viscosity of liquids and diffusion. In every case in which rate-process theory can be applied, there is a small subdivision, so that the macroscopic process is the net effect of all the small processes. This smallest subdivision is called the "unit process." For example, in a chemical reaction the unit process is

Jan 1, 1948

THE CHAIRMAN (E. G. SPILSBURY, New York, N. Y.).-The relation of the character of manganese ore to the surrounding rocks was called to my attention very strikingly in a recent investigation in Costa Rica. In the foothills of the main coastal range there is a large deposit of manganese which extends for over 150 miles along the coast. This is in a porphyry district and the occurrences are almost exclusively along the lines of contact between a recent diorite intrusion through the porphyries. Wherever that intrusion appears to have exerted great force, the line of contact is very clear between the porphyries and the diorites. Where the action has been slower and the lifting force of the intrusion more gradual, there has been a zone of fracture of very considerable width. Those ores which occur where the fractured zone has not been very extensive carry a, lower percentage of manganese than where it has been deposited along a wider zone of fracture. In the so-called narrow veins, which are really the predominant ones, the solution carrying the manganese has evidently attacked the silica in the intrusive rock, and the resulting ore is practically a combination of manganese and silica, running froth 20 to 30 per cent. of manganese and from 20 to 40 per cent. of silica: hence those ores are not likely for a long time to become a factor in our manganese supply :for this country. On the other hand, where the disturbance to the porphyritic schist has been more intense; the manganese deposits are not so extensive, but the ore is richer, running from 45 to 51 and 52 per cent. manganese, with a silica content of from 4 to 5 per cent. There seems to be some resemblance in these deposits to those of the Cuyuna range. EDMUND NEWTON, Minneapolis, Minn.-The State Bureau of Mines has been working on the problem of concentrating manganiferous iron ore for two years or more. I should consider hand sorting as the best form of treatment, because it is practised at all of the mines which ship ore for making alloys, but not, however, oil the ore that is being used for pig iron. Hand sorting, assisted by selective mining, is readily applicable to some of this ore because the gangue is practically the original rock and is easily separated. However, it is only in rather limited zones that we find clean patches of rock. Generally the silica exists as a skeleton of the original rock structure, in which the manganese has been precipitated; some of the silica may have been dissolved, but if any of the original rock remains, the silica must be eliminated by ore-dressing processes.

Jan 1, 1918

By W. M. Bertholf

In 1945 tests were made in the coal washery of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation, at Pueblo, Colo., to determine the value of the Humphreys spiral. So far we have demonstrated that it is of definite value to us in rewashing a portion of our table middlings; and we are fairly certain that this is not necessarily the only place in which it can be used to advantage. Because of manpower and material shortages, experimental work has been discontinued for the present. Three of the spirals are being installed for use in rewashing the middlings, and testing and experimental work will proceed when this installation is completed. All evidence secured so far points to the fact that the spiral call make an effective separation of heavy material below 8-mesh; but that it is ineffective in removing larger, heavy material. This, of course, will limit its use to fine coal or a classified feed containing no heavy material larger than 8-mesh. In considering the results of our tests, it should be noted that the feed was our table middling, and that any real separation of this material is a "moral victory)" as there is little material that could be properly called coal and practically no heavy rock, the consequence being that previous attempts to clean the middlings have not been at all successful. Several articles dealing with the spiral and its use in treating heavy minerals have already been published,' but for the benefit of those who have not seen these we include a brief description of the spiral and of the way it operates, taken from Bulletin 4 of The Humphreys Investment Co.: The Humphreys Spiral Concentrator consists of a spiral conduit of modified semicircular cross section. Ore pulp is fed to the top and, as it flows downward, the heavier particles concentrate in a band along the inner side of the pulp stream (Fig. I). Outlets for removal of products are located at the lowest points in the cross section of the conduit. Wash water, added at the inner edge of the stream, flows outwardly across the concentrate band. The width of concentrate band removed at the outlets is controlled by adjustable splitters. Concentrate is usually removed from the upper portion of the spiral and middling from the lower portion. Tailing is discharged from the lower end. Tests are usually made in closed circuit, since this provides a maximum of information with a minimum amount of sample. Fig. 2 shows the spiral set up for closed-circuit testing, and gives a good idea of the general arrangement of such an installation. The small cyclone separator is used to provide clean wash water without introducing additional water into the circuit.

Jan 1, 1947

By W. M. Bertholf

In 1945 tests were made in the coal washery of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation, at Pueblo, Colo., to determine the value of the Humphreys spiral. So far we have demonstrated that it is of definite value to us in rewashing a portion of our table middlings; and we are fairly certain that this is not necessarily the only place in which it can be used to advantage. Because of manpower and material shortages, experimental work has been discontinued for the present. Three of the spirals are being installed for use in rewashing the middlings, and testing and experimental work will proceed when this installation is completed. All evidence secured so far points to the fact that the spiral call make an effective separation of heavy material below 8-mesh; but that it is ineffective in removing larger, heavy material. This, of course, will limit its use to fine coal or a classified feed containing no heavy material larger than 8-mesh. In considering the results of our tests, it should be noted that the feed was our table middling, and that any real separation of this material is a "moral victory)" as there is little material that could be properly called coal and practically no heavy rock, the consequence being that previous attempts to clean the middlings have not been at all successful. Several articles dealing with the spiral and its use in treating heavy minerals have already been published,' but for the benefit of those who have not seen these we include a brief description of the spiral and of the way it operates, taken from Bulletin 4 of The Humphreys Investment Co.: The Humphreys Spiral Concentrator consists of a spiral conduit of modified semicircular cross section. Ore pulp is fed to the top and, as it flows downward, the heavier particles concentrate in a band along the inner side of the pulp stream (Fig. I). Outlets for removal of products are located at the lowest points in the cross section of the conduit. Wash water, added at the inner edge of the stream, flows outwardly across the concentrate band. The width of concentrate band removed at the outlets is controlled by adjustable splitters. Concentrate is usually removed from the upper portion of the spiral and middling from the lower portion. Tailing is discharged from the lower end. Tests are usually made in closed circuit, since this provides a maximum of information with a minimum amount of sample. Fig. 2 shows the spiral set up for closed-circuit testing, and gives a good idea of the general arrangement of such an installation. The small cyclone separator is used to provide clean wash water without introducing additional water into the circuit.

Jan 1, 1947

By Donald M. Liddell

From a commercial standpoint, the only beryllium mineral warranting attention is beryl, 3Be.Al2O3.6SiO2, which is of fairly widespread occurrence. The chief deposits are in Brazil, Argentina, India, Canada and Portugal. When pure this contains about 14 per cent of beryllium oxide. The mineral richest in beryllium is phenacite, (BeO)2SiO2, or beryllium orth-osilicate, which contains 45.55 per cent beryllium oxide when pure, and if anyone is ever fortunate enough to discover a large deposit of it, it will revolutionize beryllium metallurgy. Gadoljnite, zBe0.Fe0.2Yz0~.zSi0~, is also often referred to as a beryllium mineral, though the occurrences are comparatively scant and it is of more interest as a source of yttrium than it is of beryllium. There has been a good deal of talk recently regarding some occurrences of helvite in the United States. Helvite is a complex manganese-iron beryllium silicate and, apart from difficulties that would arise in its treatment because of its compo-sition, the beryllium content of the known deposits is not high. Early Metallurgy The elemcnt beryllium was first isolated by L. N. Vauquelin in 1797.~ He crushed and heated beryl, having the idea that this heating made it more readily amenable to attack by chemicals, and then mixed the mineral with three times its weight of caustic potash and fused the mixture. The melt after cooling was dissolved in hydrochloric acid: dehydrated, and again taken up with hydrochloric acid and filtered to separate the silica. The filtrate was treated with an excess of potassium carbonate and the precipitate after draining was leached with a solution of caustic potash, which dissolved the alumina. The undissolved material was, in Vauquelin's own words, "une terre nouvelle." He dissolved the precipitate with nitric acid and evaporated it to dryness, took up with hydrochloric acid and threw the iron out with potassium hydrosulphide, though he found that to make a complete separation of the iron involved a second treatment. The solution, after throwing out of the iron, had a pronounced sweet taste, and though Vauquelin always speaks of working on "terre du beril" he suggests that the new element should be known as "glucine" (glucinum) from the Greek word for sweet, because of this outstanding property. Vauquelin did considerable work on the comparison of aluminum and beryllium, working out a separation of most of the aluminum based on its precipitation as alum. His work is reviewed at some length, since ordinarily his procedure is incorrectly stated. It will also be recognized by those who have studied beryllium metallurgy that a good many technicians have followed his ideas since, including preheating the beryl before treatment. The fusion with

Jan 1, 1944

By R. A. Kinzie

In a conventional cement plant, the drying and heating of the raw material takes place in the upper section of a cylindrical kiln where the heat exchange is poor. In a Lepol kiln this part of the process is carried out on a traveling grate where the heat exchange is efficient. The increase in fuel economy justifies the greater complexity of the installation.

Jan 2, 1950

By T. B. Counselman

C. G. McLachlan—In the foregoing paper the author has presented a very neat method for calculating the solution recovery for a countercurrent flowsheet. He has, however, based his calculations, as he states, on the assumption that "the concentration of dissolved value must be exactly the same in the overflow and underflow of any thickener." This assumption, which is usually made regardless of the type of calculation used, is "not strictly correct because diffusion of the dissolved gold in the solution associated with the solids as it progresses through the countercurrent system is far from being instantaneous, with the result that on a ton for ton basis, the assay of the solution in the thickener underflow is higher than in the corresponding thickener overflow. An agitator introduced into the flowsheet between thickeners will reduce, but not entirely eliminate, this difference. In practice we have found that the best way to take care of this condition— in addition to the use of one or more intermediate agitators—is to circulate 20 pct or 25 pct more solution than called for by the cheoretical calculation. This presents no difficulty provided that adequate thickener capacity is provided in the original design of the countercurrent circuit.

Jan 1, 1951

By T. B. Counselman

C. G. McLachlan—In the foregoing paper the author has presented a very neat method for calculating the solution recovery for a countercurrent flowsheet. He has, however, based his calculations, as he states, on the assumption that "the concentration of dissolved value must be exactly the same in the overflow and underflow of any thickener." This assumption, which is usually made regardless of the type of calculation used, is "not strictly correct because diffusion of the dissolved gold in the solution associated with the solids as it progresses through the countercurrent system is far from being instantaneous, with the result that on a ton for ton basis, the assay of the solution in the thickener underflow is higher than in the corresponding thickener overflow. An agitator introduced into the flowsheet between thickeners will reduce, but not entirely eliminate, this difference. In practice we have found that the best way to take care of this condition— in addition to the use of one or more intermediate agitators—is to circulate 20 pct or 25 pct more solution than called for by the cheoretical calculation. This presents no difficulty provided that adequate thickener capacity is provided in the original design of the countercurrent circuit.

Jan 1, 1951

By I. R. Kramer

[The final paper in the diffusion symposium was given by I. R. Kramer. The author called attention to the diffusion characteristics of chromium deposited on the surface of steel by treatment with chromium chloride and alloyed with the surface layer of the steel by thermal treatment. As the data cited were previously published in the paper " Chromizing of Steel," by I. R. Kramer and Robert H. Hafner (Metals Technology, October 1942, and in the Transactions, volume 154, 1943, pages 415-420), it is unnecessary to reproduce these data here. The following paragraphs are taken from the author's presentation.— Editor.] Aside from the well-known practical application of the diffusion phenomena to carburizing and calorizing, -diffusion also finds application in adding alloying elements to the surfaces of steel parts. The chromizing of steels is a process by which the surface of a low-alloy steel may be enriched with chromium to form a highly corrosion-resistant case; This chromized case differs from an electroplated coat in that it is a diffused layer integral with the base metal and has all of the properties of a high-chromium steel. Recently a method of chromizing has been developed in Germany by Daeves, Becker and Steinberg in which gaseous chromium chloride and hydrogen are passed over the steel at temperatures of 1650° to 1800°F. The chromium chloride reacts with the iron to give chromium and iron chloride. The chromium atoms are deposited on the surface and diffuse in as the iron atoms diffuse out, forming a layer rich in chromium. The principal role of hydrogen is to remove the carbon from. the surface of the steel. Of the two mechanisms, chemical reaction and diffusion, the one operating at the slower rate will determine the rate of formation of the layer. In this case, diffusion is slower and therefore any factors influencing its rate will affect the process. The rate of diffusion is influenced by the temperature and crystal structure of the parent metal. Depth-concentration studies show that the concentration falls off gradually for a considerable distance and then drops sharply at about 13 per cent chromium, the point coincident with the boundary of the gamma loop. The influence of the composition of the base metal upon diffusion is quite important. The depth of penetration of the chromium decreases as the carbon content increases and, of more importance, the chromized layer becomes brittle and is likely to spa11 if the carbon content is too high. It appears that in order to chromize successfully the carbon must be fixed by strong carbide-forming elements such as chromium or molybdenum, which decrease the diffusion of carbon. If this is not done, the carbon will diffuse from the interior faster than the chromium can diffuse inward, thus forming a carbide barrier. The corrosion resistance of the chromized layer is high, and these steels offer some unique advantages over other corrosion-resisting coating or alloys. While chromizing is not meant to replace stainless steels, it may serve in the saving of alloying elements. The chromizing process uses soft or low alloyed steels that can be easily hot or cold formed and since the chromized layer is soft and firmly adherent, chromized parts can be subjected to cold deformation without spalling or chipping and without loss of corrosion resistance.

Jan 1, 1944

By I. R. Kramer

[The final paper in the diffusion symposium was given by I. R. Kramer. The author called attention to the diffusion characteristics of chromium deposited on the surface of steel by treatment with chromium chloride and alloyed with the surface layer of the steel by thermal treatment. As the data cited were previously published in the paper " Chromizing of Steel," by I. R. Kramer and Robert H. Hafner (Metals Technology, October 1942, and in the Transactions, volume 154, 1943, pages 415-420), it is unnecessary to reproduce these data here. The following paragraphs are taken from the author's presentation.— Editor.] Aside from the well-known practical application of the diffusion phenomena to carburizing and calorizing, -diffusion also finds application in adding alloying elements to the surfaces of steel parts. The chromizing of steels is a process by which the surface of a low-alloy steel may be enriched with chromium to form a highly corrosion-resistant case; This chromized case differs from an electroplated coat in that it is a diffused layer integral with the base metal and has all of the properties of a high-chromium steel. Recently a method of chromizing has been developed in Germany by Daeves, Becker and Steinberg in which gaseous chromium chloride and hydrogen are passed over the steel at temperatures of 1650° to 1800°F. The chromium chloride reacts with the iron to give chromium and iron chloride. The chromium atoms are deposited on the surface and diffuse in as the iron atoms diffuse out, forming a layer rich in chromium. The principal role of hydrogen is to remove the carbon from. the surface of the steel. Of the two mechanisms, chemical reaction and diffusion, the one operating at the slower rate will determine the rate of formation of the layer. In this case, diffusion is slower and therefore any factors influencing its rate will affect the process. The rate of diffusion is influenced by the temperature and crystal structure of the parent metal. Depth-concentration studies show that the concentration falls off gradually for a considerable distance and then drops sharply at about 13 per cent chromium, the point coincident with the boundary of the gamma loop. The influence of the composition of the base metal upon diffusion is quite important. The depth of penetration of the chromium decreases as the carbon content increases and, of more importance, the chromized layer becomes brittle and is likely to spa11 if the carbon content is too high. It appears that in order to chromize successfully the carbon must be fixed by strong carbide-forming elements such as chromium or molybdenum, which decrease the diffusion of carbon. If this is not done, the carbon will diffuse from the interior faster than the chromium can diffuse inward, thus forming a carbide barrier. The corrosion resistance of the chromized layer is high, and these steels offer some unique advantages over other corrosion-resisting coating or alloys. While chromizing is not meant to replace stainless steels, it may serve in the saving of alloying elements. The chromizing process uses soft or low alloyed steels that can be easily hot or cold formed and since the chromized layer is soft and firmly adherent, chromized parts can be subjected to cold deformation without spalling or chipping and without loss of corrosion resistance.

Jan 1, 1944

By Ralph E. Hartline, Wilfred Tapper

The Strataflow process for locating water entry in producing, wells is now available. This method as now practiced utilizes the fact that fluids of different salinities have different electrical resistivities. By introducing into the well a fluid of a markedly different salinity than that of the fluid being produced, a pronounced resistivity change will occur at the point of entry. By running a Strataflow survey the points of major and minor water entry may be interpreted from changes in the resistivity of fluid in the hole. Strataflow results are obtained with the well operating under almost normal producing conditions, and are a logical primary step in any workover program, having as its purpose shutting off of the water. INTRODUCTION Water production is a serious problem in many producing oil wells. It certainly increases lifting costs and in some cases presents a disposal problem. It often aggravates corrosion problems and can even endanger oil production. With accurate information to guide an effective workover program, many marginal wells could be restored to Profitable Production. The shortcomings of previous meth- ods of water entry location were recognized. The Strataflow process is the result of several years of development and field testing directed toward overcoming these limitations. It represents the continued development of a process reported by Silverman and Brown. The earlier work established the basic soundness of fresh-to-salt water resistivity contrast in delineating zones of water entry, but its application was limited by the difficulty of maintaining static balance of the well during preparation for the test. A more serious deterrent to its use, however. was its unadaptability to existing well logging service equipment and field operating methods. STRATAFLOW PRINCIPLE The general principle of the new method involves, first, conditioning the well by displacing the fluid in the bore of the well adjacent to the zone to be tested by a conditioning fluid which is miscible with the formation fluid. This displacement is carried out without interruption of the well production. The conditioning fluid must have some measurable physical, chemical, nuclear, or electrical property which is distinctive from that of the formation fluid. As the well continues to produce. formation liquid entering the well bore dilutes the conditioning fluid so that zones of entry may be determined by making a log of the property undergoing change. This general principle may be applied to indicate zones of either water or oil entry by suitable selection of conditioning fluid and proper logging equipment. The Strataflow process, as it is currently practiced for water entry location, uses fresh water as the conditioning fluid and depends for its operation upon the marked difference of electrical resistivity between this fresh water and the salty water produced by the formations. If possible. any necessary modifications of the well equipment are made a week or so before the test. The well is then returned to normal production. On the day the test is to be carried out. the conditioning water is landed at the bottom of the well and the test is made without interrupting production except for a brief period required for the conditioning water to consolidate into a continuous column extending to a point well above the test section. With this general description of the process in mind, a more detailed step-by-step description of the process will be clearer. PRELIMINARY PREPARATION OF WELL The Strataflow survey, as it is currently practiced for water entry location, is applicable only to pumping wells. Since the required electrical measurements are made by a special

Jan 1, 1952

J. B. Cohen (AVCO Mfg. Co.)-The model presented by the authors is only one of several possible mechanisms for low-temperature aging. It is true that the motion of dislocations to the copper atoms, followed by diffusion along the dislocation lines, is one such mechanism. However, the details of such a process which would :result in copper-rich platelets on (100) planes in the f.c.c. matrix are not clear. Furthermore, there is at least one other mechanism that may be used to e.xplain the authors' results, so that the data do not clearly favor the Turnbull model. The zones may form by "normal" diffusion. The diffusion constants would be higher at room temperature than extrapolated data would suggest due to vacancies trapped in the specimens in the quench. The diffusivity would then be multiplied by the ratio of the number of vacancies present at the solution temperature to that present at room temperature. These vacancies could remain in the alloy specimen for long times at room temerature, due to interaction with the copper atoms. ' The activation energy for diffusion is smaller than that for bulk diffusion at elevated temperatures for it is only that for the motion of vacancies existing after the quench; after these are used up, the aging process effectively ceases. It is somewhat questionable if the laws governing transformation kinetics can be directly applied to changes in elastic moduli, especially in the case of aging where the structure and the composition of the zones may be changing during aging, If such laws are assumed, it is possible to explain the exponential factor of % with this vacancy model. It is probable that the structure of the zones and the matrix match only on (100) planes. Certainly the precipitates that form in this system after various aging treatments show orientation relationships similar to those of the zones. Strains on the edges of the zone may set up fields which do not allow the zone to grow in an edgewise manner. The exponent in the growth of a thin plate in a direction perpendicular to its face would be %. It may also be that copper atoms are attracted to dislocations. If this is the rate-controllin factor in the growth process Ifthisthen an exponent of % or % may arise. The writer would like to know if the authors have tried plotting l/a; proportional to as might be expected for "dislocation drainage." R. H. Doremus (General Electric Research Laboratory)—An important new method for following the growth of Guinier-Preston zones is presented in this paper, and I wish to congratulate the authors on their experiments. Their interpretation of the results, however, is doubtful in certain respects. To determine the exponent m in Eq. [4] the authors plotted -log at against t to various powers (their Fig. 6). The initial value of frequency used for these plots was found by extrapolating the data to zero time. In Fig. A the data from their Fig. 2 are plotted against a linear, rather than logarithmic, time scale. To obtain graphs similar to their Fig. 6 for these data one must use an initial frequency of about 52720; such a plot for m = % is shown in Fig. B. The straight line in Fig. B fits the data in an intermediate range only. The curve drawn in Fig. A was mapped from this line; comparison of

Jan 1, 1960

By F. C. Blake

THE test of the English cupellation furnace should be so supported that the cupeller can change readily the elevation of the test, and at the same time watch the litharge channel. It is also important to raise or lower either side, independently of the other, in me of uneven wear of the side walls or of the breast. If the refined silver is poured from the test, it is much better to control the lowering of the test from the front than to raise the back by screws or a lever. In order to enable the cupeller to manipulate the test with one hand, when the litharge is running, and to pour the refined silver from the test without aid, I have altered the common support to the test, as shown in the accompanying drawing. The common method of supporting the test is by four screws, working in cross-bar nuts beneath the test. The points of the screws set, into the test plate upon which the test rests. These screws are usually worked by pounding or pulling upon the heads, which may be either small pulleys or straight bars, as shown on the back screws in the drawing. The screws are also worked by turning a crank, which is

Jan 1, 1882