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By Sir John Cadman

Since my previous review of the Persian fields, presented in 1929,' considerable progress has been made. The main feature of drilling development has been the delimitation of the Haft Kel field and its extensions. Although the limits have not yet been reached, a productive area of about 40 square miles has already been proved and it is now certain that the field will be of the same order of importance as the Masjid-i-Sulaiman field. Production to main pipe line from Haft Kel was begun in November, 1929, and to date about 4,500,000 tons have been produced. Normal production has continued from the Masjid-i-Sulaiman and Naft Khaneh fields. The search for oil in horizons below the main producing limestone is perhaps the most interesting and important exploratory drilling work in progress. Promising results have been obtained in the first well deepened in the Masjid-i-Sulaiman field with this objective, and the exploration of these lower formations is being continued. In this connection an allied program of geochemical research work on the nature of the oils and oil-bearing rocks of different horizons is at, present being undertaken. Masjid-i-Sulaiman Field Since the Haft Kel field was brought into production in 1929, production from Masjid-i-Sulaiman has been reduced in order to equalize to some extent the producing lives of the two fields. The production for the last four years has been as follows: m Approximate Equivalent in TonB Barrels 1929 5,434,071 38,038,497 1930 4,925,869 34,481,083 1931 4,248,086 29,736,602 1932 Approximately 4,500,000 31,500,000

Jan 1, 1933

By Franz R. Dykstra

DEFINITIONS The ores of iron are classified in three general categories: direct shipping, concentrates, and agglomerated-i.e., pelletized or sintered. Direct Shipping As the name implies, direct-shipping ores are shipped as mined or, perhaps, after screening. Generally, direct-shipping ores are hematitic (R203), magnetitic (R304), or limonitic (2Fe2O3.3H20) in nature. Grades of direct-shipping ores vary widely. Prices are frequently related to the historical Mesabi standard of 51.5% iron, although certain premium lump ores may contain up to 68% iron. The use of direct-shipping ores is diminishing as the advantages of beneficiated ores become evident and reserves are depleted. Concentrates Where the nature of the deposit and economics allows, certain ores are upgraded. This may include no more than washing and screening, or may be as elaborate as fine grinding followed by magnetic, gravity, or even flotation procedures for separation. Coarser concentrates may be smelted "as is.'; Fine concentrates usually are sold as sinter feed. (Sinter, as used here and in the following, refers to a process by which a fine ore-carbon mixture is agglomerated at elevated temperatures on a direct-fired moving grate to eliminate fines and improve chemical and physical homogeneity.) Agglomerates-Pellets or Sinter The development of economic techniques of mining and concentrating taconite (fine-grained, ferruginous jasperoids) led to the introduction of the iron-ore pellet, which is now becoming the major form in which iron is introduced into the furnace. The tremendous reserves of magnetic taconites of the northern United States and Canadian Precambrian shield had been recognized for many years. A century of mining has seen the reserves of the direct-shipping or "red ores" of the Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin ranges approach depletion. Research started in the 1930s has seen the evolution of motives and techniques to concentrate these stubborn refractory ores. The efficacy of concentrate pellets in iron-making has been such as to induce mines throughout the world to grind, concentrate, and pelletize otherwise shipping-grade ores. Table 14.1A.1 shows typical analyses of iron ore. Marketing-Prices of iron may be quoted on a value per long-ton (2240 lbs) or metric-ton (1000 kg or 2204 lb) basis, or on a value per long-ton-unit or metric-ton-unit basis. One iron unit represents 1 % of contained iron per ton. (Thus, a price of $0.45 per iron unit for ore containing

Jan 1, 1976

By Oswald J. Heinrich

IN the coal review for the United States for 1875, the Engineering and Mining Journal, January 1st, 1876, remarks about the Richmond coal basin " It has contributed but little to the supply of fuel during the year past, notwithstanding the fact that it is the most favorably situated of all our coal-fields, and possesses a fuel of good quality, well adapted to many important uses. An unaccountable lethargy seems to have fallen on all who have touched this field ; and yet, in the future it can scarcely fail to become one of the great sources of coal supply." In most respects indorsing the above remarks, I take occasion to lay before the Institute the following facts in defence of the Rich¬mond basin; and not willing to criticize other mining enterprises in this field, I will make this one remark in general for all of them. While it is true that very little coal has been raised during the year in this field, it is equally true that even the little that has been raised could hardly be sold. When the output of the largest coal districts in the United States decreases, in consequence of the state of the market, it is not to be wondered at that the former small output of this basin dwindled down to almost nothing. But a far deeper¬seated evil, under which this field is suffering, may be discerned from the following remarks, which I hope will show that the latter part of the above remark in the Journal is not altogether fair. As the history of one mine in this district very nearly represents the history of the whole field, I will endeavor to give an account of the development of the Midlothian Mines, ranging amongst the old¬est in the district, partially taken from a report of Col. Wooldridge, in 1841. Coal was mined in this neighborhood as early as 1700, and used (then so-called extensively) in the vicinity in 1775. A

Jan 1, 1876

By Arthur F. Taggart

Some years ago, A. M. Gaudin and one of the authors published a paper showing removal of tar acids from solution by sulfides preferentially as compared to gangues (specifically by galena as compared to quartz).' The underlying phenomenon was classed as adsorption, and the paper went on to develop the general thesis that so far as water-soluble frothing and collecting agents in flotation are concerned, the phenomenon of adsorption is one of controlling importance. Adsorption was defined in that paper as "a process of rearrangement of a system, which results in establishing a difference in concentration, as between the interfacial layers and the bulk of the phases, of a substance or substances initially uniformly dispersed in one or several of the phases." The paper went on to develop the relation between adsorption and surface cnergy according to Gibbs' equation (which may be thrown into the form U/c = KdT/dc, where U = excess concentration in surface layer, c = concentration, T = surface tension, and K is a constant), and pointed out that, according to this equation, degree of adsorption and change in surface tension vary directly. The present paper offers a somewhat different definition for the term adsorption; and sets up, in sweeping terms, the generalization that simple chemical reaction underlies the functioning of the flotation reagents which control mineral collection, when these reagents are soluble in and act from solution in the water of the pulp. Adsorption According to the modified definition, adsorption means concentration at an interface between different phases in a heterogeneous system (thus far the definition runs as before), by the action of some mechanism, of which nothing is properly implied in the word, and concerning which the user of the word is probably in entire ignorance. Thus defined,

Jan 1, 1930

By Oswald J. Heinrich

In the coal review for the United States for 1875, the Engineering and Mining Journal, January 1st,, 1876, remarks about the Richmond coal basin: "It has contributed but little to the supply of fuel during the year past, notwithstanding the fact that it is the most favorably situated of all our coal-fields, and possesses a fuel of good quality, well adapted to many important uses. An unaccountable lethargy seems to have fallen on all who have touched this field ; and yet, in the future it can scarcely fail to become one of the great sources of coal supply." In most respects indorsing the above remarks, I take occasion to lay before the Institute the following facts in defence of the Richmond basin; and not willing to criticize other mining enterprises in this field, I will make this one remark in general for all of them. While it is true that very little coal has been raised during the year in this field, it is equally true that even the little that has been raised could hardly be sold. When the output of the largest coal districts in the United States decreases, in consequence of the state of the market, it is not to be wondered at that the former small output of this basin dwindled down to almost nothing. But a far deeperseated evil, under which this field is suffering, may be discerned from the following remarks, which I hope will show that the latter part of the above remark in the Journal is not altogether fair. As the history of one mine in this district very nearly represents the history of the whole field, I will endeavor to give an account of the development of the Midlothian Mines, ranging amongst the oldest in the district, partially taken from a report of Col. Wooldridge, in 1811. Coal was mined in this neighborhood as early as 1700, and used (then so-called extensively) in the vicinity in 1775. A

By E. L. Anders

The Mile Six pool is located on the La Brea-Parinas Cullcession of International Petroleum Co., Ltd., in northwestern Peru on the west coast of South America. The reservoir pressure in this pool has been maintained within 200 psi of its initial value throughout its history, and gravity drainage has played an important role in the production behavior. It has now produced 95 per cent of its estimated ultimate recovery. It is estimated that this interesting oil pool will ultimately produce 67 per cent of the initial oil in place and that the resulting residual oil saturation may be as low as 19 per cent of the pore volume (29 per cent of the hydrocarbon pore volume). An evaluation of reservoir rock and fluid characteristics and ultimate oil recovery is presented. INTRODUCTION This study of Mile Six pool was made to evaluate its performance according to latest available information. The production performance of this pool has been discussed in various articles in the past. and the reported behavior has been used as an example for application of computation procedures for gravity drainage depletion' and as an illustration of field behavior under gravity drainage or expanding gas cap drive. There have been wide variations in reported values of initial oil in place, reservoir oil volume factor. connate-water sauration, volume of effective sand, and ultimate recovery because of the paucity of reliable basic data. These various factors have been determined as accurately as practicable with the latest available information, and this evaluation is presented herein. The production history of Mile Six is an excellent example of gravity drainage depleion with effective pressure maintenance by gar injection. GENERAL Mile Six pool was discovered by cable-tool drilling in November. 1927. when well 1996 was completed in the Parinas sand. After slow development with cable tools and sporadic production. the pool was opened to continuous pro(iuction in November. 1933. and develpment was completed with rotary rigs. Pressure maintenance was started in December, 1933. by returning gas to upstructure wells. Most of the development was 'completed by 1937, but some additional wells were drilled in the period 1939-1947. and several old wells were deepened. A total of 46 oil and gas wells and 4 dry holes were drilled on approximately 7-acre spacing. Of the producers. 21 are now flowing. 2 are pumping. 44 are gas input wells. 3 are abandoned. I is a gas well shut in. and 15 are shut in because of non-commercial production or high gas-oil ratio. The locations of all wells are shown on the map of Fig. I. Total oil production on Dec. 31. 1952, was 30,867,373 bbl: cumulative gas production was 22,023,777 Mcf; and 26,410,946 Mcf of gas had been returned to the reservoir. These figures do not include oil and gas lost ill a blowout in January. 1940. GEOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION Mile Six pool is located on the northern end of a structural spur projecting from the La Brea-Negritos uplift.' The spur is probably a reflection of a basement structure. It plunges gently to the north, i broken into a complex series of fault blocks. and contain.; the Verdun Alto. Section Sixteen. and Mile Six pools. The Parinas handstone (lower Eocene!. which is the producing formation in Mile Six. occurs at an average depth of 2,200 ft in the pool and dips north and east at from 15' to 20". The pool covers an area of approximately 350 acres. Mile Six is downfaulted about 600 ft from Section Sixteen pool to the soutb. and a major fault forms its western boundarv. The north and east boundaries are formed by the intersection of the sand top with the water-oil contact which occurs at approximately 2.440 ft subsea. An original gas-oil contact probably existed at about 1.875 ft subsea. Fig. 1 presents the latest structural interpretation of the pool. and Fig. 2 is an isopach map showing thickness of the total Parinas formation above the original water-oil contact. The heavy lints of Fig. 1 are contours on the sand top, and the fine lines are contours on the fault planes. This type of straight-line structural map was developed 1)) International's geologists to reflect structural conditions where the bedding planes dip and have no curvature. 'The La Brea-Parinas Concession is highly faulted by normal fault.. The beds are flat wherever exposed. The Parinas formation is approximately 635 ft thick. and it is etimated that 62 percent II the formation is effective sand. The original oil zone was about 565 ft thick. Fig. 211 presents an electric log showing typical Parinas sand development ill Mile Six pool. The Parinas band in Mile Six i. a well-sorted. medium- to-coal-se-grained. cross-bedded sand with minor lenses of shale and small lenses and pockets of pebble conglomerate. The sand grains are subangular to rounded and consist chiefly of quartz with feldspars. biotite hornblende, and augite as accessory minerals. Because of faulting of the Parinas- formation to the east and north of the pool. there is probably l possibility of a significant, natural water drive in Mile six. The faults within the pool. as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. are of smaller disI,laceInent and seem to act only , partial barriers to fluid movement within the reservoir. RESERVOIR CHARACTERISTICS Core analysis data are available from five wells. The data were obtained from three wells (Nos. 3401. 3586 and 3719) at the time of their completion and from well 1996 when the original liner was sidetracked and the well was deepened ill 1946. Data from well 2779 were obtained in 1943 from old cores taken when the well was deepened in 1934. From these core analyses. the average porosity was estimated to be 22.6 per cent. and the average permeability to dry ail. was estimated to be 780 and Measured productility indices varied from 3.1 to 71.4 B/D per psi differential. Specific productivity indices varied approximately from 0.1 to 0.3 B./D per psi per ft of sand.

Jan 1, 1953

By Philip Schane

THE subject of steel cleanliness has always been a major one in the steel industry and much study and effort have been expended toward improving the cleanliness of steel and meeting the ever increasing demands of customers for steels that will give better performance in service and permit economies in design and efficiency of the final product. Sometimes wee may feel that-these demands are unnecessarily stringent, and probably this is true in some instances. However, the pressure for higher quality has acted as a stimulus toward improving quality and, therefore, has tended to promote progress. In this paper, the whole subject off cleanliness is covered in a general way. In the discussion' on steelmaking practices, remarks have been limited to basic electric- furnace practice in the making of alloy steels.

Jan 1, 1947

By R. V. Norris

IT was stated in a former paper1 that an intensive study of anthracite costs was being made by the engineers of the United States Fuel Administration. The results of this-study are now available and are offered as a supplement to the former paper. Anthracite costs as reported, for the 6-months period, December, 1917, to May, 1918, inclusive, as compiled by the Federal Trade Commission, were used as a base, and charts similar to those described in the-former paper were made for the standard white ash anthracite and for red ash and Lykens valley coals. ADJUSTMENTS The adjustments of cost from a reported to a price-fixing basis, as described for the bituminous methods, were applied but showed only minor adjustments as necessary. The great spread in anthracite prices on the varying sizes, which for the 6-mo. period under review ranged in average from $5.244 for nut to $2.074 for barley coal, makes the question of the percentage of sizes produced at the different collieries a vital one. The realization with the same prices for each size must be within very wide limits, when it is considered that the percentage of prepared coal reported from different collieries varied from over 80 per cent. to below 30 per. cent. for fresh-mined coal. Hence, as the spread in prices for the various sizes must be predicated on some percentage, it is essential to find some method of adjustment to allow for this variation. The logical method of adjustment is to calculate actual costs to costs as of the standard percentage of sizes, so that the margin between the adjusted costs and the average realization shall be the actual margin for each colliery between its actual costs and actual realization clue to its particular percentage of sizes. As a base for realization the actual percentage of sizes for fresh-mined coal for the 6-mo. period was adopted. This percentage is given in Table 1.

Jan 2, 1919

By W. E. Hess

At the Vesta mines of Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. on the Monongahela River, 35 miles south of Pittsburgh, JCM Joy continuous miners and 6-SC shuttle cars are used for pillar extraction in the Pittsburgh seam. The entire output of the mine goes into coke production for blast furnace operation. Because this coal, which has high metallurgical qualities, is close to the place where it is ultimately used and because supplies with these properties are being rapidly depleted, complete recovery is essential wherever possible. With the introduction of the continuous miner into the Vesta mines, therefore, it was necessary to plan a project which would facilitate development and provide for future total recovery. Use of continuous miners under varying conditions has necessitated changes with regard to roof action, method of development, method of pillar attack, and innovations in mining. In the following pages these changes will be discussed.

Jan 2, 1955

By J. J. Sense

10.2-1. Equipment Scheduling. In any earth-moving operation, more profit may be earned or lost by equipment scheduling than by any other single facet of the project. Many now-defunct earth movers would have survived the cost-profit squeeze had they followed an efficient, cost saving, equipment scheduling program. The ideal program would have every item of the equipment fleet working all of the time. In practice for many obvious reasons, principally mechanical conditions, operating conditions, and human nature-this ideal situation is not possible. The cost-conscious organization strives to keep as many pieces of equipment of the fleet working efficiently as much of the work day as possible. Operating efficiency requires the minimum equipment to move the predetermined tonnages in the prescribed period of time. In the case of a shovel-truck operation this would mean the scheduling of the minimum shovel and truck shifts to excavate and transport the necessary tonnage to the processing plant or waste dump. To accomplish this goal, the operator must work from the predetermined production established by the requirements of the plant, stripping ratio, mine plan, etc. This production schedule may be in terms of tons or yards per year, per month, or per hour, but must eventually be translated into tons or yards per ma- chine per unit of time. In this regard, the reader is referred to Sections 8.0, Excavation and Loading, and 9.0, Haulage and Transportation. The trend to larger and faster, and as a result more costly, equipment requires that the operator consider every possibility to keep the equipment operating around the clock, seven days per week. In some areas seven day operation may not be feasible economically, because of premium pay for Sunday work. Mine labor agreements are generally written without premium pay penalties for weekend work, and such scheduling is possible and most often desirable.

Jan 1, 1968

By W. Rostoker, H. Nichols

It has been demonstrated in previous work1'2 that wetting of aluminum alloys by liquid mercury can cause fracture to occur with substantial suppression of prior plastic flow. This has been interpreted as the action of a critical liquid species in reducing the cohesive strength of a stressed solid at sites of potential crack nucleation. In this way the critical transverse stress for fracture nucleation is reached at much lower stresses than is normally the case. The stresses for both fracture nucleation and fracture propagation are depressed by the same mechanism. In so doing the plastic-energy component of fracture energy is reduced to a level which is of the same order of magnitude as the surface, interfacial, or cleavage energy. Recent work2 has illustrated the influence of dispersed precipitates, cold work, and combinations of these on brittle fracture associated with plastic strains of the microyield order of magnitude. This has been rationalized in terms of the contribution of internal microstress fields to the stress magnifications at points of obstruction of active slip bands in a stressed metal. The presently reported studies on an Al-4-1/2 pct Mg alloy amplify this subject by introducing thermal-mechanical conditions which can produce strain aging. As amply demonstrated by Phillips, Swain, and borall, the tensile behavior of aluminum alloys containing magnesium reveals a yield-point elongation and successive discontinuous elongations over the whole plastic-strain range. This gives a stepped or serrated character to the stress-strain diagram. The yield-point elongation is not temperature-dependent. On the other hand, the discontinuous extensions in the plastic-strain range are gradually suppressed by lower temperatures of testing. At -78"C, only the yield-point elongation persists. The yield-point elongation itself can be suppressed by rapid quenching to room temperature from an annealing temperature of 500°C. The argument presented by Phillips et 1. and Cottre114 is that the yield-point elongation derives from surmounting at a critical stress the restraint to slip by grain boundaries which have been reinforced by appreciable magnesium-atom segregation. The serrated character of the plastic-strain range is the result of rapid strain aging during the test. This is made possible by the inevitable proximity of magnesium atoms to any dislocation line. In the Al-4-1/2 pct Mg alloy there is one magnesium atom for every twenty-two aluminum atoms and, with a coordination number of 12, a magnesium atom is on the average only about two atomic distances from any given lattice site. Rapid strain aging is therefore a reasonable expectation. A study of mercury embrittlement of the Al-4-1/2 pct Mg alloy (commercial designation 5083) provides an opportunity to relate the interplay of grain size, grain boundary restraint to slip and strain aging in the brittle-fracture process. One lot of commercial sheet material of 0.125-in. thickness was used for all of the tests. The specimen shape and test procedures used were the same as those described in a previous publication.2 A range of grain sizes between 0.0057 and 0.0125 mm was produced by various combinations of plastic prestrain and annealing. The coarsest grain was somewhat elongated in shape. In this case the measurement was taken in the direction transverse to the axis of tension as more meaningful to a brittle-fracture process. In the annealed condition, specimens wetted with mercury failed with zero permanent elongation at stresses slightly below the normal yield point, i.e., stresses at 0.05 to 0.2 pct strain. Since this occurs before yield-point elongation can begin, fracture derives from slip contained within individual grains and restrained from propagating across grain boundaries. No significant difference in wetted fracture stress was observed between specimens which had been water-quenched or furnace-cooled from the annealing temperatures. This signifies that the degree of magnesium segregation at grain boundaries

Jan 1, 1964

By A. E. Zawadzki

A progress report is presented on the development of a process for the removal of sulfur dioxide from flue gases. Catalytic oxidation of the sulfur dioxide in flue gases, with the production of recoverable sulfuric acid, has been demonstrated to be technically feasible. Problems associated with the process are discussed. The need for an inexpensive and efficient process for controlling sulfur dioxide emissions from utility plant stacks has been accentuated by the ever-increasing public demand for elimination of all man-made air pollutants. I would like to describe the results of an investigation of the development of such a process; more important, I would like to present a discussion of the problems associated with the process which remain to be solved. The research work on the BCR catalytic gas phase oxidation process has been jointly sponsored by the Association of Edison Illuminating Cos., Edison Electric Inst. and Bituminous Coal Research, Inc., since 1958. However, work on SO2-pollution abatement was initiated by BCR in 1953. Tieman and Clymer,1 working with ozone and simulated flue gases, evaluated a gas phase oxidation process for removing SO2 from flue gases. Their experimental data indicated that the use of ozone to oxidize SO2 in flue gas concentrations, with subsequent recovery of H2SO4, did not appear to be economical due to the large ratio of ozone to sulfuric acid produced (2.6 to 1). The cost of the ozone would be 6 to 10 times the cost of sulfuric acid produced. As a result of the ozone study, work on a catalytic oxidation process was developed. The following reactions are the basis for the catalytic oxidation process Reaction [I] normally occurs in the combustion of sulfur-bearing fuels. At the high temperature found in the combustion chamber, 95% to 99% of the sulfur in the fuel is oxidized to SO2 and 1% to 5% is oxidized to SO3. The concentration of SO2 in the combustion gases depends on the combustion efficiency and the quantity of excess air used. A commonly used rule of thumb is 0.1 percent by volume SO2 in the flue gas for each 1% sulfur in the fuel. Reaction [2] proceeds at a wide range of temperatures. The rate of the reaction is rapid above l,000°F; however, the equilibrium conversion drops rapidly above this temperature. 2 Reaction [3] occurs rapidly to completion at temperatures below 400°F; above this temperature some SO3 exists in equilibrium with H2SO4. Complete dissociation of H2SO4 occurs above 650°F.3 The simplicity of the proposed process provided added incentive to the development and evaluation of the various component unit operations. The advantages of the process were considered to be as follows: 1) no raw materials were required, 2) the unit operations were not radically new; and 3) a salable product, sulfuric acid, would be produced. The successful development of the process was contingent upon the solution of several major problems: 1) The development of a catalyst which would provide high catalytic activity at reasonable conditions of gas flow and temperature without causing an unacceptable increase in pressure drop. 2) The development of a high temperature dust collection system to provide clean flue gases to the catalytic reactor. 3) The complete recovery of the sulfuric acid produced in the process; the effluent gas must contain less than 20 ppm by volume of sulfuric acid. As of this date, the complete solution to these problems has not been achieved. EXPERIMENTAL Catalyst Development: The use of platinum and vanadium catalysts for the production of sulfuric acid by the treatment of dry gases containing 5% to 20% by volume sulfur dioxide has been known for many years. The application of the basic idea of catalytic oxidation of sulfur dioxide in flue gas concentrations was

Jan 1, 1965

By AIME AIME

The first Diesel-electric locomotives for the Mesabi iron range of the Lake Superior district were put into service last summer by the Oliver Iron Mining Co., U. S. Steel subsidiary. There were ten of these locomotives, rated 1000 hp. and weighing 125 tons each. They are designed for service from 16 to 24 hours per day to haul trains of loaded ore cars from open-pit mines, 200 to 400 ft. deep, on a two to eight-mile haul to the top of the pit. The locomotives push or pull the trains over switchbacks and up heavy grades with 5 per cent maximum against the load. High tractive effort, less smoke, and ability to negotiate sharp curves were among the reasons for the selection of Diesel-electric locomotives.

Jan 1, 1941

By J. D. Edwards, C. S. Taylor, A. S. Russell

Solubilities and densities are reported for alumina hydrates in NaOH solutions under the conditions of the Bayer process employed to purify alumina for aluminum production. The equilibrium constants for reactions to form A102- accurately correlate the effects of NaOH concentration on the solubilities; the temperature coefficients of the equilibria lead to heats of solution of 7.34, 4.76, and 5.24 kcal for the a trihydrate, a monohydrate, and ß trihydrate, respectively. Moderate calcination does not change the solubility of the a trihydrate but increases that of the a monohydrate. At solution temperatures above 100°C, the trihydrates transform rapidly to a monohydrate. Hydro-thermally produced a monohydrate is the stable phase above 20°C. CORNERSTONE of the aluminum industry, the Bayer process for alumina production is based on the difference in solubility of hydrated alumina in NaOH solutions between 170" and 40°C. Solubilities and densities in this system were determined thirty years ago by M. Tosterudl under the direction of J. D. Edwards and C. S. Taylor. The solubility data, which still appear more concordant than those in the literature, are employed to sort out the complex equilibria in this system. The nomenclature for the alumina hydrates is that presented in The Aluminum Industry' and more recently summarized in Alumina Properties.3 a trihydrate is the purified phase analogous to gibbsite, a monohydrate is similarly akin to boehmite, and ß trihydrate is sometimes known as bayerite. Literature Goudriaan4 reviewed the early literature on alumina in NaOH solutions and presented data on the solubility at 30°C of several forms. The gel precipitated from aluminum sulphate or chloride with ammonia and dried at 130" to 140°C had the highest solubility but was unstable, its solubility being cut to one-tenth on standing in NaOH. The solubility of the gel was decreased one-third on calcination at 300" to 400°C, while that of the gel transformed in NaOH at room temperature to a crystalline trihydrate was unchanged on calcination. The preparation produced by slow hydrolysis of sodium aluminate solution with CO, in the air gave solubilities in rough agreement with later values for a trihydrate. The solubility of this form was increased slightly by the calcination. Fricke and Jucaitis5 extended the work to 30" and 60°C with a trihydrate. They also gave solubilities for ß trihydrate (bayerite b), although the residue belonging to the left branch of the solubility curve corresponded to a trihydrate. The residues at high NaOH concentrations were mono and trisodium aluminates, the latter being 3Na2O . AL2O3 • 6H2O. Solubilities of a trihydrate at 95°C and of a monohydrate at 150" and 200 °C come from the work of Magarchak.6 a trihydrate transformed to a monohydrate above 95°C. A few measurements on the solubility at 25°C of an alumina trihydrate prepared by slow hydrolysis of NaAIO, solutions were presented by Sprauer and pearce.? Their analyses showed the monosodium aluminate to have the composition Na2O.Al2O3-2.5H2O.

Jan 1, 1956

By P. CHARTERIS A.

THE following scanty notes on the Roumanian oil-region may serve as an introduction to more detailed future study and description. The Roumauian oil-belt, follows the outer edge of the sweep of the Carpathian Mountains, and may, in a broad sense, be regarded as a prolongation of the Galician belt. It is distributed over a tract of country from 300 to 400 miles in length, with a width of from 15 to 20 miles, and is believed to cover an area of at least 20,000 hectares (59,420 acres). The Government claims that 16,000 to 17,000 hectares of its land is petroliferous. The primary deposits of petroleum are considered to be in the Padeogene (Oligocene) and the Neogene (the salines of the Miocene) formations. Most of the other repositories, especially those of Muntenie, are only secondary, the petroleum there having been introduced by the orogeneric movements which raised the Carpathian Mountains. The oil-field has been divided by the Roumanian survey into two regions, the Flysch and the Sub-Carpathian, as is shown in the accompanying sketch-map, Fig. 1.(p. 518). So far as is yet, known, practically all the seepages and .productive pits and wells are situated oil anticlinals. Those which outcrop in the Flysch region. (called Paleogene anticlinals), as indicated in the sketch-map, Fig. 1, are : Solontz, Middle Oligocene; Moineshti, Moineshti and Tagu-Ocna-beds of the Eocene.

Jul 1, 1906

By Howard Eavenson

THE eleven mines of the United States Coal and Coke Co. in the Pocahontas coal field are situated in McDowell County, W. Va., which is a mountainous region. The valleys rarely exceed 200 ft. (60 m.) is width, the hill sides slope from 25° to 33°, and the tops, from 600, to 900 ft. above the valleys, carry practically no level land. At least 80 per cent. of the area is covered with timber. All the workings are drift mines; and while the average grades of the seams worked are ample for drainage, local dips and swamps necessitate, the use of a large number of local pumps or of numerous drainage ditches to keep the mine free from water during heavy rains. The water handled in any mine is not great, compared with the coal output, and usually causes little trouble except during extremely wet periods. In hew workings, the water encountered, except in rare cases, is trifling; it is only after rib drawing has started and the surface has been broken that water troubles begin. The strata overlying the coal are sandstone, shales, and slates; as the soil is thin and sandy, it does not tend to puddle and stop the cracks, which remain open for a long time. As mining progresses and the robbed area increases, the broken area becomes larger, increasing the openings into the mined territory. The cover over the robbed portions of the mines varies from 30 to 750 ft. (9 to 228 m.). When the ground is saturated, considerable water finds its way into the mines the day after a heavy rainfall and for three or four days it tends to fill the low places, wash the tracks, etc. and. unless from three to four times as many pumps are installed as are normally needed, considerable', output is lost. In most cases the water will .flow from the mines, so the obvious solution is to provide drainage .ditches of ample size to carry the maximum flow expected, so that the inflow will have no opportunity to flood the working places.

Jan 1, 1921

By R. P. Carreker, J. C. Fisher

Cheep tests are normally constant load tests. Such tests approximate some types of service conditions and therefore are justified from the engineering point of view. Coupled with this consideration is the advantage of simplicity inherent in constant load tests, as contrasted with the comparatively complex requirements of a constant stress test. It is not surprising that the vast majority of creep tests reported are of the constant load type. Despite the enormous amount of accumulated creep test data, plastic flow is by no means completely understood. The widespread use of constant load tests is at least partly responsible for this lack of understanding. Any attempt to analyze deformation must involve the more fundamental quantity stress, rather than load. It is possible to predict constant load behavior from known constant stress data, but the reverse is much more difficult. When a metal specimen elongates, as in a creep test, the cross section decreases, maintaining constant volume. Thus For a constant stress test the force on the specimen must be decreased as the cross section decreases, that is, this force must be inversely proportional to the elongation of the specimen. An-drade has described three methods of obtaining the constant stress condition,l-3 each of which is relatively complex. The most recent proposal,³ suggests a major simplification which maintains the simplicity of the constant load test while approximating quite closely the desirable condition of constant stress. Andrade's device is admittedly more accurate but the method described below has definite advantages Consider a specimen in the form of a "V" supported at its ends. If a weight be applied at the vertex of the angle, the stress in each leg of the "V" If this stress causes an elongation ?1 in each leg of the "V," the angle decreases from a. to a smaller angle a1. The quantity sec — thus decreases with specimen elongation while the quantity 1/A increases. By selecting proper initial conditions it should be possible to hold S/So very nearly constant at unity. The proper initial conditions are realized when a0 is made equal to approximately 90°. Fig 1 compares the ratios of S/S0 for a0 = 85, 90, 95, 100°, with a0 = 0, that is, a straight speci- men, for true strains up to e = 0.10. It may prove convenient to measure X, the movement of the vertex, rather than the true elongation 1. Contour lines of X/lo are also plotted in Fig 1. The method for obtaining constant stress described above is especially suited to the testing of small wires, but may easily be extended to rods of any diameter through the use of a suitable grip which serves as the vertex joining two identical rods forming the legs of the "V." References 1. E. N. da C. Andrade: On the Viscous Flow in Metals, and Allied Phenomena. Proc. Roy. Soc., A, 84, 1, (1910-11). 2. E. N. da C. Andrade and B. Chalmers: The Resistivity of Polycrystalline Wires in Relation to Plastic Deformation, and the Mechanism of Plastic Flow. Proc. Roy. Soc., A, 138, 348, (1932). 3. E. N. da C. Andrade: A New Device for Maintaining Constant Stress in a Rod Undergoing Plastic Extension. Proc. Phys. Soc., 60, (3). 304, (March, 1948).

Jan 1, 1950

By Edward E. Hicke, Charles A. Stickels

The dihedral angle of liquid-lead inclusions in solid nickel has been measured as a function of temperature from 371 to 816 C at zero pressure. and as a function of pressure up to 50,000 psi at 317 and 593 C. Thermodynamic expressions are derived for the temperature and pressure coefficients of interfacial tensions in this system. A method is presented for obtaining relative tempmature and pressure coefficients from dihedral-angle data, and the resulting values are used in conjunction with the thermodynamic relations to calculate excess properties of the solid-liquid interface. Defining the position of the solid-liquid interface by the condition that the excess concentration of lead is zero, the excess concentration of nickel and the excess entropy at the solid-liquid interface are: where y(593) is the interfacial tension of the nickel grain boundary saturated with lead at 593C and zero pressure. These values are considered reliable to within a factor of two. While similar calculations are not possible for the nickel grain boundary, it is shown that the expwimental results imply that the excess concentration of nickel at the boundary and the excess entropy of the boundary are negative. THE temperature and composition dependencies of interfacial tensions in metal systems have been reported by several authors in the last 15 years.'-' No measurements of the effect of pressure on inter- facial tensions in metals have been reported, although measurements made on nonmetallic gas/liquid and liquid/liquid systems suggest that a measurable effect should exist.6-l2 The purpose of these experiments was to determine the influence of temperature and hydrostatic pressure on dihedral angles in the Pb-Ni system. The equilibrium dihedral angle is expressed as a ratio of interfacial tensions by2: where 8 is the dihedral angle, yGB is the Ni-Ni grain boundary tension, and SL is the solid Ni-liquid Pb interfacial tension. Three sets of ex- periments were run to determine: a) the effect of temperature from 371" to 816°C on the dihedral angle at zero pressure; b) the effect of pressure up to 50,000 psi on the dihedral angle at 371° and 593°C. THERMODYNAMICS The properties of interfaces of most direct concern are the interfacial tension, excess concentrations of various components at the interface and the excess entropy of the interface, S°. These quantities are defined following Gibbs. Consider an interface separating phases a and 0. Construct two surfaces C, and C such that all properties of phase a remain uniform up to C, and all properties of phase 0 remain uniform up to C. The region between C, and Cp is the interfacial region. Let a "dividing surface", D, be constructed in the interfacial region such that it passes through all points "similarly situated with respect to the condition of the adjacent matter."l3 Surface D divides the interfacial region into a portion a' adjacent to phase adjacent to phase . Let a closed curve, C, enclose an area A in D. Erect normal lines to D along C; these lines and the surfaces C,, Cp, and D then enclose volumes V and V' in the two halves of the portion of the

Jan 1, 1964

By J. Nagy, D. W. Mitchell, E. M. Murphy

In 1957 research was initiated in the U.S. Bureau of Mines experimental coal mine near Pittsburgh, Pa., to study factors affecting foam generation and transport, to evaluate the effectiveness of high-expansion foam for controlling mine fires, and to develop techniques for applying the method under U.S. mining conditions. These investigations showed that high-expansion foam containing at least 0.2 oz of water per cu ft of foam is effective in controlling experimental underground fires burning coal, wood, and oil. Sometimes the fire was completely extinguished, but more often, it was brought under sufficient control to permit either a direct attack on the fire with a stream of water or loading of the hot material into cars. A progress report' prepared in July 1958 summarized the initial achievements of the USBM experiments. Since then other phases of the foam-plug method for attacking fires have been studied in the laboratory and in the mine. Previous studies by British engineers' of the foam-plug method for fighting mine fires indicated that high-expansion foam was effective in controlling experimental timber fires in an underground passageway. Their subsequent workx-1 pertained to the practical aspects of fighting large fires within a mining area with a foam-plug. CONTROLLING EXPERIMENTAL FIRES In the USBM tests foam was formed by spraying a dilute solution of a foaming agent on a metal or cotton net of 1/8 to 1/4-in. mesh. Air passing through the continuously wetted net forms bubbles of 1/2 to 11/2-in. diam and produces a honeycomb of foam that fills the passageway. Under the ventilating-air pressure, this light-weight plug moves forward through the passageways, around sharp corners, and over obstacles. as illustrated in Fig. 1. High-expansion foam was transported to a wood fire, an oil fire, and 13 coal fires. Figs. 3 and 4 show a typical coal fire before and after attack with foam. In 12 of the 15 experiments the fire was brought under control when the water content of foam was 0.2 oz or more per cu ft. A fire was considered controlled when the flames were quenched and observers could cross the area without wearing breathing apparatus or protective clothing. In the other three experiments, conducted when the water content was less than 0.2 oz per cu ft of foam, the flames were retarded but the fire was not controlled. Coal fires have been attacked successfully by foam introduced at points varying from 155 to 1010 ft from the fire. The time of burning in coal beds 10 in. thick ranged from 11/2 to 5 hrs or more. Most of the experimental fire beds were 15 ft in length. However, in one experiment a floor fire 25 ft long and 5 ft wide was constructed $5 upwind from another fire 15 ft in length; in another instance, the fire was 100 ft long and 5 ft wide. Foam was applied to the fires for periods ranging from 7 to 36 min. The time required for foam application depends on the extent of the fire, time of burning, water content of foam, foam velocity, and degree of fire control desired. In addition to the coal fires, foam was transported to a fire covering 45 sq ft, produced by 15 gal of oil burning in metal trays on the floor. The foam extinguished the oil fire in about 1 min. In one other test, the burning of 1100 lb of dry sawmill slabs stacked in open cribs 4 ft high and 16 ft long was brought under control by foam in 2 min. Composition of Gases in Return Air: In several of the experiments samples of the return air from fire zones were collected; composition of the atmosphere before, during, and after foam application was then determined. Because of condensation in the relatively cool sampling tube, the amount of water vapor was not determined. Analyses showed that concentration of carbon dioxide and combustible gases increased as the foam began passing over the fire. This resulted from the decrease in the volume of air when foam generation started and from the formation of gases when water reached the fire.* The quantity of gases generated would not be greater than that from an equivalent amount of water applied directly to the fire. The highest total concentration of combustibles (CO, CH1, and H2 mixture) obtained during the experiment was about 2 pct; this occurred 6 min after foam reached the fire. This atmosphere was nonex-plosive, but calculations show that if the air flow were reduced to about 5 fpm and if the rate of gas liberation from the fire remained constant, the mixture would be explosive. The use of foam on a fire in all probability would affect the normal ventilation of a mine. If the mine is gassy, this factor must be carefully considered before the foam is applied. APPLICATION OF THE FOAM-PLUG TECHNIQUE IN MINES Equipment and procedures for applying the foam-plug methods must be adapted to the prevailing conditions at a particular mine. Some factors to be considered in developing equipment are: size or extent of the mine, dimensions and number of entries, ventilation system, mining methods, haulage facilities, availability of water, amount of methane liberated, and existing fire-control apparatus. • In most experiments the initial air velocity of 200 fpm decreased to 50 to 100 fpm as the foam plug increased In length.

Jan 1, 1961

By S. Pearson, L. Rotherham

Measurements have been made of the variation of internal friction with temperature for OFHC copper, and for a series of binary solid solutions of high purity copper with zinc, gallium, germanium, arsenic, and silicon, to investigate the effect of alloying elements in substitutional solid solution on grain boundary viscosity. The apparatus used was of the torsional pendulum type developed by KeI1 modified so that the specimen and vibrating system could be maintained in a high vacuum. The activation energy for grain boundary relaxation in copper is 33,000 cal per mol. This is considerably less than the activation energy for self-diffusion, in disagreement with Ke's theory2 that the two activation energies should be the same. All the alloying elements increase the activation energy for grain boundary relaxation to approximately 44,000 cal per mol, increasing the grain boundary viscosity at a given temperature. The results are discussed in terms of theories of grain boundary slip put forward by MottQ and by Ke.+ Experiments have also been made to investigate the effect of small amounts of oxygen on the variation of internal friction with temperature for copper. EXPERIMENTS described in this paper were designed to investigate the effect of alloying elements in substitutional solid solution on grain boundary viscosity, using the internal friction method developed by Kel for measuring grain boundary viscosity. It was considered desirable to make the system under investigation as simple as possible by making experiments on a comprehensive series of binary alloys of copper with the elements immediately following it in the periodic table, i.e., zinc, gallium, germanium, and arsenic. These elements are within the range of favorable size factor for solution in copper, and the systems have been extensively investigated by Hume-Rothery and his co-workers." Later, in order to study the effect of the relative size of the solvent and solute atoms, experiments were made on a series of Cu-Si alloys, since the apparent atomic diameter of silicon when in solution in copper—the diameter necessary to assign to the solute atoms to account for the lattice constant of the solid solutiona—is almost the same as that of the solvent atoms. Preliminary experiments were made to measure the variation of internal friction with temperature for pure copper. Ke made some experiments on copper," but found that the curves obtained were not reproducible in consecutive experiments. The copper was maintained in an argon atmosphere during the experiments but, although he took precautions to exclude oxygen, Ke came to the conclusion that the precautions were not entirely satisfactory, and that the lack of reproducibility must be due to absorption of oxygen by the copper. Experiments have therefore been made to investigate the effect of small amounts of oxygen on the variation of internal friction with temperature for copper. Previous Work Ke made extensive experiments on high purity aluminum and was able to show that the grain boundaries behave viscously at high temperatures. He found that the relative rate of movement of the grains could be expressed as Where v is the velocity of slip, A is the constant, u is the shear stress, H is the activation energy, R is the gas constant, and T is the absolute temperature. By assuming that the boundary layer was one atom thick, he obtained a value for the viscosity which, when extrapolated to the melting point, gave good agreement with the viscosity of the liquid metal at the melting point. Ke also made experiments on other high purity and commercial purity metals:, and on some alloys." " He came to the conclusion2 that the activation energy for grain boundary slip was the same as for self or volume diffusion and for steady state creep in single crystals. Rotherham, Smith, and Greenough" have shown recently that the activation energy for grain boundary slip is not the same as for self-diffusion in tin,

Jan 1, 1957