Search Documents

By T. R. Braithwaite

The brief comments made in this chapter deal mainly with shaft sinking, but don't assume that freezing techniques apply only to shaft sinking. They can be used on tunnel work, on such things as liquid gas storage in sediment, and I think you will probably see other applications for it as we go along. The method was first developed in 1883 and was used to sink shallow shafts through water-bearing overburden in Germany and in England. One of the early shafts was in Germany and was sunk by freezing to 310-ft depth. The project required 17 months for drilling, roughly 5 1/2 months for freezing, and another 7 months for sinking, giving an average progress of 10 ½ fpm. Fortunately there have been numerous improvements and new developments in this technique through the years. With equipment and techniques available today, we can take a 20-ft-diam shaft down through 2000 ft of water-saturated overburden and the time schedule runs roughly 4 months for site preparation, freeze-hole drilling, installing the casings, and setting up the plant; 4 ½ months for freezing; and 6 months for excavating and installing permanent linings. This gives a progress rate of about 140 fpm, on average. I might qualify that a little in that the special linings that are required for some formations can affect the time. If it's straightforward sinking where one can use a heavy concrete lining, up to 630-640 fpm may be achieved in a shaft; but with special cast-iron tubbing or types like that, 5 fpd is pretty good progress, so the lining does affect the time. The freezing method is used mainly for sinking shafts through unstable water-bearing formations which cannot be grouted either effectively or economically and which are too deep to enclose in pile casing. Even with overburden, grouting methods available today can handle roughly 100 lb water pressure; in the range of, say, 100 to 150 ft from the surface, it's very often best to grout 40 or 50 ft. You normally drive a pile casing and go through it. Below that range, freezing is very often the economical

Jan 1, 1970

By E. J. Duggan

The mine and mill of the Climax Molybdenum Co. are at Climax, Colorado. Climax is on Fremont pass directly on the Continental Divide, at an elevation of 11,400 feet. Description of Ore The Climax ore-bearing rock is essentially an altered and highly silicified granite, fully half of the gangue being quartz. Molybdenite is the only mineral of economic consequence and most of it is intimately associated with quartz in the form of fine veinlets and stringers. Other minerals are molybdite, pyrite, and chal-copyrite. While the molybdite may be readily extracted by hydrometallurgical methods, its content is too low to make such operations profitable. The pyrite content ranges from 2 to 5 per cent and that of the chalcopyrite from 0.03 to 0.05 per cent. There is not enough copper to make its recovery attractive and one of the metallurgical problems is the elimination of it and the pyrite from the product. On account of the close association of the molybdenite with the quartz and the necessity of eliminating the pyrite and chalcopyrite from the final product, fine grinding followed by flotation is the only feasible method of concentration. History Construction of the first milling unit was started in 1917 and it was operated during parts of 1918 and 1919. In the postwar years, there was almost no demand for the product and production was at a standstill until 1924. The Company's research campaign to develop the use of the metal began to show results in that year. From r926 to 1932 production ranged from 500 to 1200 tons per day. In 1931 an additional mill section was built and production was gradually increased until in 1934 and 1935 about 3000 to 4000 tons was milled per day. This tonnage overtaxed the milling facilities, and as the demand for inolybdenum was growing constantly, additional milling equipment was needed. In 1936 and 1937 another crushing plant, six additional mill sections and the necessary auxiliary plants were constructed and brought into operation. This plant was designed to mill I0,000 tons per day, but it was not long before 12.500 tons was being treated during periods of peak demands. During the summer of 1941, to meet defense needs, the mill has been required to treat 15,500 tons per day. This has been accomplished with little plant expansion and at no loss in recovery, as will be described later. TO increase capacity still further, one more primary section is now being built. This will bring capacity to 18,000 tons per day, which can be stretched to 20,000 tons at a small sacrifice in recovery. Crushing There are two crushing plants: No. I, of 5000 tons capacity (flowsheet in Fig. I) and No. 2, of 15,000 tons capacity (Fig. a).

Jan 1, 1943

By E. J. Duggan

The mine and mill of the Climax Molybdenum Co. are at Climax, Colorado. Climax is on Fremont pass directly on the Continental Divide, at an elevation of 11,400 feet. Description of Ore The Climax ore-bearing rock is essentially an altered and highly silicified granite, fully half of the gangue being quartz. Molybdenite is the only mineral of economic consequence and most of it is intimately associated with quartz in the form of fine veinlets and stringers. Other minerals are molybdite, pyrite, and chal-copyrite. While the molybdite may be readily extracted by hydrometallurgical methods, its content is too low to make such operations profitable. The pyrite content ranges from 2 to 5 per cent and that of the chalcopyrite from 0.03 to 0.05 per cent. There is not enough copper to make its recovery attractive and one of the metallurgical problems is the elimination of it and the pyrite from the product. On account of the close association of the molybdenite with the quartz and the necessity of eliminating the pyrite and chalcopyrite from the final product, fine grinding followed by flotation is the only feasible method of concentration. History Construction of the first milling unit was started in 1917 and it was operated during parts of 1918 and 1919. In the postwar years, there was almost no demand for the product and production was at a standstill until 1924. The Company's research campaign to develop the use of the metal began to show results in that year. From r926 to 1932 production ranged from 500 to 1200 tons per day. In 1931 an additional mill section was built and production was gradually increased until in 1934 and 1935 about 3000 to 4000 tons was milled per day. This tonnage overtaxed the milling facilities, and as the demand for inolybdenum was growing constantly, additional milling equipment was needed. In 1936 and 1937 another crushing plant, six additional mill sections and the necessary auxiliary plants were constructed and brought into operation. This plant was designed to mill I0,000 tons per day, but it was not long before 12.500 tons was being treated during periods of peak demands. During the summer of 1941, to meet defense needs, the mill has been required to treat 15,500 tons per day. This has been accomplished with little plant expansion and at no loss in recovery, as will be described later. TO increase capacity still further, one more primary section is now being built. This will bring capacity to 18,000 tons per day, which can be stretched to 20,000 tons at a small sacrifice in recovery. Crushing There are two crushing plants: No. I, of 5000 tons capacity (flowsheet in Fig. I) and No. 2, of 15,000 tons capacity (Fig. a).

Jan 1, 1943

By L. N. Cosner, C. F. Austin, J. K. Pringle

Shock wave attenuation studies with three igneous rocks are reported: a spessartite elastic to low intensity stress waves, a diorite which is anelastic, and a porous scoria. The level of shock passing through a given thickness of rock has been determined by donor-receptor methods using high speed streak cameras. Test results include shock propagation velocities adjacent to the explosive, the dependence of test results upon test geometry, and the variation in shock wave attenuation in these three common igneous rock fabrics. The utilization of explosives in rock mediums involves a series of interrelated phenomena. These are the detonation process within the explosive, the transfer of energy from the explosion products to the surrounding rock medium in the form of sound or shock waves, and the transmission of the resulting waves through the rock medium to create damage in the rock mass. The subject of this paper is the investigation of the close-in phenomena that occur in the intensely shocked rock immediately adjacent to a detonating explosive charge. The specific aspects studied include propagation velocities, free surface velocities, pulse attenuations and the determination of the equations of state for the test rocks employed. In addition, a series of tests was conducted to indicate the dependence of the test results on the charge diameter utilized. The equations of state for rock materials have been investigated by a number of authors. Lombard, ',' Grine and Fowles,3,4 Zharkov, 5 Hughes and McQueen,6 Chabai,7,8 and Bass9 have published equation of state data on rock materials similar in structure or composition to those investigated in the study. Rinehart10 has prepared a voluminous tabulation of the available equation of state data from these publications and in addition has included data on many other rock and earth materials in his compilation. The reader is referred to the extensive tabulations and bibliography of Rinehart for classical studies involving the equations of state of metals and other solids and liquids. The problems of sympathetic detonation between drill holes in hard rock environments has received the attention of various authors as have the problems of explosive rock coupling close-in stress wave attenuation and explosive diameter effects. 11 to 18 In particular, the don or-receptor geometry of this report is very similar to the geometry of adjacent drill holes in rock. Most published pulse velocity and attenuation work in rock has been devoted to velocities at much lower amplitudes than those associated with close-in explosives phenomena and most attenuation studies involve transmission and attenuation across large spans of material. Excellent work in these areas has been published by the U. S. Bureau of Mines and by many individuals and groups engaged in geophysical research. SELECTION OF TEST MATERIALS A series of rock materials was desired for this test program that would be meaningful industrially, and that would also yield comparative results from a research viewpoint. Based on the availability of a series of related petro-fabrics, for which there is an abundance of physical and shock response data, three igneous rocks were selected as the test series. The applicability of shock wave studies in igneous rocks to industrial problems is readily demonstrated. Hardrock tunneling, quarrying and mining take place in igneous rocks throughout the world. From a research point of view, igneous rocks exhibit a wide variety of grain sizes and considerable diversity in composition, yet the common igneous rocks have a general similarity in their constituent mineral structures and in their grain-to-grain bonding mechanisms. The latter is based on the concept of rock formation through magma cooling and crystallization, though the degree of liquefaction in granitic plutonic masses is indeed a moot question. Three specific types of igneous rock were chosen for study. A coarse-grained granitic textured rock was desired that would serve as a representative of the widely abundant intrusive rocks of the world and

Jan 1, 1967

By O. C. Wheeler

Peru, if it is judged on a basis of its annual production rate, can be ranked seventh among the oil-producing countries of the Western Hemisphere. In 1945, as in each of the three previous years, the country again produced about 14 million barrels of crude petroleum.

Jan 1, 1946

By S. K. Tarby, W. O. Philbrook

The rate of FeO and MnO reduction from silicate and aluminate slags by carbon-saturated iron is dependent on both slag composition and temperature. Owing to variable stirring rules during- the course of reaction, the reduction processes occur in two stages in stationary graphite crucibles. In the first stage the slirring caused by CO evolution results in forced convection conditions in the slag. As the boiling action subsides during reduction, the flow conditions within the system become those defined by natural convection. Analysis of the data by an unsteady-state penetration model indicates that the rate of reduction is controlled by the rate of cocur-rent flow of' cations and anions from the bulk slag to the interface during both stages of reduction. The hearth reactions of the blast furnace have been extensively investigated from the viewpoint of equilibrium by deductions from controlled laboratory experiments. However, the literature contains relatively few studies that have been directed toward the area of slag-metal reaction kinetics, and the majority of these have been concerned with the rate and mechanism of sulfur transfer between iron and slag. More recently, attention has turned to the kinetic factors in the reduction of oxides from liquid slags. One of the first investigations in this field was conducted by Dancy1 on the reduction of pure liquid FeO and pure liquid Fe3O4 by carbon-saturated iron. The integrated form of the rate equation indicated that the reduction of FeO was of the first order up to 80 pct reduction. Over the initial 30 pct of reduction, the magnetite reaction was also interpreted as a first-order process. The rates of reaction were extremely rapid as indicated by a 30 pct reduction of the liquid magnetite in a time interval of about 1 to 2 sec. Phil-brook and irkbbride' studied the reduction of FeO from a lime-alumina-silica slag by carbon-saturated iron and solid graphite in stationary crucible assemblies. With the use of the differential form of the rate equation, the rate of the reduction reaction was found to be proportional to the second power of the concentration of the reactant FeO for both the slag-metal and slag-graphite reactions. These authors presented a number of comments in an effort to explain the difference between the molecularity of the above reaction and the observed second-order relation. One such argument, recently extended by Wagner,3 was that the rate-limiting step may well be one of transport control. A complete discussion of the proposed mass-transport control mechanism of this reduction reaction will be presented in a later section of this paper. Kinetic studies of the reduction of other oxide species, namely chromous oxide, titania, and silica, have also been reported. McCoy and philbrook4 used rotating crucible assemblies to investigate chromium reduction from Ca0-SiO2-A12O3 slags. First-order kinetic law was obeyed for the slag-metal reduction reaction as determined by the integration method of data analysis. Due to scatter of the data, any dependence of the rate constant on temperature or slag composition was obscured. Concentration-time data for the reduction of titania from blast-furnace type slags under reducing conditions were obtained by Delve, Meyer, and Lander.' The data were too few, however, for a formal kinetic interpretation. Kinetic data for the very slow reaction of silica reduction have been observed by McCoy and Philbrook6 and Fulton and chipman.7 The former experimenters found the reaction-rate constant for silica reduction by carbon-saturated iron to be 20 to 60 times less than the rate constant for chromium reduction. In their work on the reduction of SiO2 in mechanically stirred systems, Fulton and Chipman also found small values for the specific reaction rate and derived a high value for the energy of activation for the reaction. In both of these investigations, the reduction process was assumed to follow first-order behavior. schuhmann8 proposed that the rate-limiting step in this reaction is the diffusion of oxygen from the interface through a boundary-layer film to the bulk metal phase, and Rawling and Elliott9 have reported experimental confirmation of this hypothesis for temperatures below 1600°C. Turkdogan et a1.10 have also concluded that the rate of reduction of silica is a slow process and controlled by the diffusion of oxygen in the metal, but only in the absence of carbon monoxide bubbles at the slag-metal interface. In the presence of bubbles, achieved either by injecting carbon monoxide at the slag-metal interface or by blowing it through the metal and slag, these investigators found a rather rapid reduction of silica which appeared to be controlled by an interfacial reaction involving the de-sorption of silicate ions from the slag-metal interface to the metal phase as silicon and oxygen atoms. In view of the unresolved nature of the kinetics of FeO reduction and the lack of kinetic data for the manganese reaction,

Jan 1, 1968

By W. K. Lewis

During the last decade the petroleum refinery engineer has made great progress in achieving a better understanding of the physical behavior of hydrocarbon mixtures, with particular reference to their pressure-temperature-volume relationships, the mechanism of the evaporation of liquids, the condensation of vapors, including the changes in composition, and the heat effects accompanying them. With the new insight into the mechanism of movement of oil and gas through the formations in which they occur, achieved by the production engineer, it is clear that the latter will need to utilize in the solution of his own problems much of the information outlined above. It is the purpose of this paper to outline the portions of that information that seem most certain to prove of importance in production work. Properties of Pure Hydrocarbons While it is true that petroleum always consists of highly complex mixtures of hydrocarbons, none the less understanding of the behavior of the mixture must be based upon a knowledge of the properties of the pure components. However, in view of the tremendous number of hydrocarbons existing in petroleum, the determination and formulation of the properties of all of them would seem a discouraging task. The difficulty of the situation is increased by the undoubted facts that the overwhelming majority of chemical individuals in petroleum have never been isolated as pure compounds, none of their physical properties have been determined and even their chemical constitution is unknown. The situation would be hopeless were it not for the fact that certain extraordinary correlations of important properties of various hydrocarbons have been discovered which make it possible to predict those properties for a given chemical individual on the basis of a very limited characterization of it. Thus one can predict the vapor-pressure curve of an unknown hydrocarbon over a considerable range from the knowledge of a

Jan 1, 1934

By C. E. Birchenall, F. N. Rhines, L. A. Hughes

A. J. Shaler—I should like to congratulate the authors on the presentation of this paper, which we have been awaiting a long time. The view they have taken of the sintering process, namely that voids are comparable to particles of a second phase capable of dissolving to a slight extent in the metal phase, is an interesting but dangerous one. Pines has given a first-order solution of the problem and Has predicted a decrease in the concentration of pores near the surface. The authors of the present paper have experimentally demonstrated the second-order effects, that is, the diffusion of the space phase between voids of different sizes, and also the movement of atoms from highly curved parts of a void to less curved regions of the same void. I have recently calculated the rate of vapor-phase transport within odd-shaped pores in copper at 850 °C and found that probably at that temperature volume flow is the more rapid shape-changing mechanism. The authors of the present paper have found that at 1000°C, vapor-phase transport is dominant. There is no disagreement here, I think. The dominant phenomenon can easily be different' in different temperature ranges and with different pore shapes: I used a cylinder going to a sphere, not a tricuspid going to a "triple cuspidor." But there is some danger in the other art of the explanation, that is, in the study of the diffusion of vacancies from a pore to its neighbors and to the outside. A vacancy is very different in dimension from an atom. When it moves, it carries a field of elastic strain. This has to be taken into account. A concentration gradient of vacancies can cause them to diffuse. But in the absence of such a gradient, they can be made to diffuse by a field of stress. What happens in some of our experiments, and it is most noticeable in the shrinkage of synthetic cylindrical pores, like the tubes we have been working with, may be broken down into the following steps. (1) The presence of a surface establishes a vacancy concentration gradient, as Dr. Kuczynski and the present authors have shown. (2) Vacancies then diffuse in order to decrease this gradient. (3) In so doing, they cause an elastic field to be built up in such a direction as to oppose the diffusion, so that it slows down until it reaches a steady-state rate. (4) The steady-state flow is due to the fact that the surface tension acting on curved surfaces applies a stress to the system which itself mechanically causes vacancy diffusion. What I have said is that the diffusive types of flow of the authors and of Dr. Kuczynski are transient phenomena which soon stop if the pores are large. We are then left with a mechanical problem only, and our researches have not yet disclosed just what the mechanism of flow is; it may be a slip process, or it may take place by a vacancy diffusion of the type Nabarro has de-

Jan 1, 1951

By R. W. Fenn, H. A. Lepper, W. R. Hibbard

A. J. Shaler—I should like to congratulate the authors on the presentation of this paper, which we have been awaiting a long time. The view they have taken of the sintering process, namely that voids are comparable to particles of a second phase capable of dissolving to a slight extent in the metal phase, is an interesting but dangerous one. Pines has given a first-order solution of the problem and Has predicted a decrease in the concentration of pores near the surface. The authors of the present paper have experimentally demonstrated the second-order effects, that is, the diffusion of the space phase between voids of different sizes, and also the movement of atoms from highly curved parts of a void to less curved regions of the same void. I have recently calculated the rate of vapor-phase transport within odd-shaped pores in copper at 850 °C and found that probably at that temperature volume flow is the more rapid shape-changing mechanism. The authors of the present paper have found that at 1000°C, vapor-phase transport is dominant. There is no disagreement here, I think. The dominant phenomenon can easily be different in different temperature ranges and with different pore shapes: I used a cylinder going to a sphere, not a tricuspid going to a "triple cuspidor." But there is some danger in the other art of the explanation, that is, in the study of the diffusion of vacancies from a pore to its neighbors and to the outside. A vacancy is very different in dimension from an atom. When it moves, it carries a field of elastic strain. This has to be taken into account. A concentration gradient of vacancies can cause them to diffuse. But in the absence of such a gradient, they can be made to diffuse by a field of stress. What happens in some of our experiments, and it is most noticeable in the shrinkage of synthetic cylindrical pores, like the tubes we have been working with, may be broken down into the following steps. (1) The presence of a surface establishes a vacancy concentration gradient, as Dr. Kuczynski and the present authors have shown. (2) Vacancies then diffuse in order to decrease this gradient. (3) In so doing, they cause an elastic field to be built up in such a direction as to oppose the diffusion, so that it slows down until it reaches a steady-state rate. (4) The steady-state flow is due to the fact that the surface tension acting on curved surfaces applies a stress to the system which itself mechanically causes vacancy diffusion. What I have said is that the diffusive types of flow of the authors and of Dr. Kuczynski are transient phenomena which soon stop if the pores are large. We are then left with a mechanical problem only, and our researches have not yet disclosed just what the mechanism of flow is; it may be a slip process, or it may take place by a vacancy diffusion of the type Nabarro has de-

Jan 1, 1951

By C. Richards Honeycutt, Frederick C. Langenberg, Guenter Pestel

Solidification in a moving electromagnetic field was successful in altering the as-cast grain structure of steel ingots. The equipment is described and exerimental results are presented for several different alloys. Conditions for optimum grain refinement are described and an empirical design constant presented. The effect of the grain refinement on hot workability is briefly discussed. T HE grain structure of a steel ingot teemed into a metal mold can be defined by macroscopic examination in semiquantitative terms. For example, the relative volume of obviously differing structures can be estimated with the classic definitions of chill, columnar, and equiaxed zones. Experimental evidence has proven that the grain structure of an ingot is affected by changes in such factors as teeming temperature, rate of teeming, degree of turbulence, size of ingot, mold characteristics (including preheat temperature, design and coating), and composition of the metal (especially as it affects the range of solidification). Significant advances have been made in fundamental solidification studies; but the principles which have been developed are difficult to apply tothe complex and changing phenomena that occur simultaneously during ingot solidification. In particular, many attempts have been made to refine the as-cast structure of ingots, with special emphasis on the columnar grains. The formation of large columnar grains is generally considered harmful to the further fabrication of an ingot. It may also result in undesired ani-sotropic properties. However, columnar grains are not undesirable in all grades, or product applications, and caution must be exercised to determine in which grades and applications columnar grains are not desired in the ingot. Although the literature on the refinement of as-cast ingot grain structures is too vast in general to review here, it is noteworthy that such methods are additions of artificial nuclei, mold vibration, mechanical stirring or ultrasonic agitation of the molten metal, and controlled cooling and reheating during solidification have been tried with varying degrees of success. However, it is doubtful that any method of refining the as-cast ingot grain structure has been completely successful on a commercial basis. The purpose of

Jan 1, 1962

By C. G. Dunn

Nuclei that are formed during the recrystallization of a grain following plastic deformation generally have orientations that differ from the original. This aspect of recrystallization may be described in terms of orientation changes. It was shown previously, in an investigation on recrystallization in silicon ferrite,&apos; that the observed orientation changes were highly improbable on a chance basis, and that some mechanism must be involved. Analysis showed that the data could be satisfactorily classified into the smaller of two subclasses† of the 36 third-order twin transformations. No attempt was made at that time to classify the data within the special class of 12 third-order twin transformations, although results did indicate a greater probability for some of them to occur. A classification of this type would be more valuable, of course, with more data on orientation changes per old deformed grain. The present work fulfills this condition to some degree and also extends the scope of the investigation to include the effects of original orientation and the amount of plastic deformation. The effect of original orientation is of considerable interest because of the known effects of orientation on plastic deformation, particularly with regard to degree of fragmentation and the formation of deformation bands, and because the orientations produced by deformation should influence the orientations obtained through recrystallization. Barrett and Levenson2 reported that single crystals of iron deformed in the range 82 to 97 per cent could be put into three general classes; namely, crystals in class I maintained a reasonably sharp single orientation, those in class 2 transformed into two distinct orientations, and those in class 3 changed into a large number of major and minor orientations. Something similar would be expected for silicon ferrite crystals, and verification of this for a few cases of types class I and class 2 deformation has been reported elsewhere3 for single crystals of silicon ferrite cold-rolled in the range 10 to 20 per cent. As an example of class 2 deformation, it was shown that a crystal of silicon ferrite cold-rolled in a (110) plane in a <100> direction developed two layers, or deformation bands differing in orientation. When this happens it is possible to etch away one band and leave a single structure for use in studying the orientation changes that occur during recrystallization. when preferred crystal orientations are obtained in recrystallization, it is not particularly necessary to evaluate groups of common orientation, as was done previously (ref. I, Table 6); but an

Jan 1, 1947

By C. G. Dunn

Nuclei that are formed during the recrystallization of a grain following plastic deformation generally have orientations that differ from the original. This aspect of recrystallization may be described in terms of orientation changes. It was shown previously, in an investigation on recrystallization in silicon ferrite,&apos; that the observed orientation changes were highly improbable on a chance basis, and that some mechanism must be involved. Analysis showed that the data could be satisfactorily classified into the smaller of two subclasses† of the 36 third-order twin transformations. No attempt was made at that time to classify the data within the special class of 12 third-order twin transformations, although results did indicate a greater probability for some of them to occur. A classification of this type would be more valuable, of course, with more data on orientation changes per old deformed grain. The present work fulfills this condition to some degree and also extends the scope of the investigation to include the effects of original orientation and the amount of plastic deformation. The effect of original orientation is of considerable interest because of the known effects of orientation on plastic deformation, particularly with regard to degree of fragmentation and the formation of deformation bands, and because the orientations produced by deformation should influence the orientations obtained through recrystallization. Barrett and Levenson2 reported that single crystals of iron deformed in the range 82 to 97 per cent could be put into three general classes; namely, crystals in class I maintained a reasonably sharp single orientation, those in class 2 transformed into two distinct orientations, and those in class 3 changed into a large number of major and minor orientations. Something similar would be expected for silicon ferrite crystals, and verification of this for a few cases of types class I and class 2 deformation has been reported elsewhere3 for single crystals of silicon ferrite cold-rolled in the range 10 to 20 per cent. As an example of class 2 deformation, it was shown that a crystal of silicon ferrite cold-rolled in a (110) plane in a <100> direction developed two layers, or deformation bands differing in orientation. When this happens it is possible to etch away one band and leave a single structure for use in studying the orientation changes that occur during recrystallization. when preferred crystal orientations are obtained in recrystallization, it is not particularly necessary to evaluate groups of common orientation, as was done previously (ref. I, Table 6); but an

Jan 1, 1947

By D. J. Pye

Certain high molecular weight synthetic polymers in very dilute solutions decrease water mobility in porous media 5 to 20 times more than would be expected from the solution viscosity. This indicates that increasing water viscosity to reduce adverse mobility ratios in water floods is economically feasible in many situations. Laboratory results are consistent with accepted theory with respect to improved areal sweep, permeability distribution and displacement efficiencies as would be predicted from the solution mobility measured in the core. The laboratory results have been confirmed by field pilot floods which recovered 80 per cent and 100 per cent more oil than comparative water-flood pilots in fields containing 16 cp and 130 cp oil respectively. Economic analyses based on pilot data indicate the method to be profitable. INTRODUCTION The desirability of improving the water-oil mobility ratio in waterflood-ing operations has long been appreciated, especially for high viscosity crudes. Methods of reducing the oil viscosity by application of heat, gas resaturation and miscible drives have met with some success. Conversely, it has been generally conceded that increasing the water viscosity would also be effective, but the amount of thickening agent required to effect an appreciable increase in viscosity is discouragingly high. The use of such materials as glycerin, sugar, or glycols is completely out of the question economically, so that considerable attention has been given to the use of the much more efficient synthetic water-soluble polymers as viscosity improvers; but even these materials are not economically attractive. If increased water viscosity could be economically realized, marked improvements in areal sweep efficiency, as discussed by Caudle and Wittel and others, would be realized in field operations. Similarly, the improved mobility ratio would bring about increased recoveries by correcting permeability distribution problems as discussed by Stiles2 and Dykstra and Parsons,&apos; and improvements in displacement efficiency would be obtained as recognized by Buckley and Leverett4 and Welge.5 LABORATORY STUDIES THE RESISTANCE EFFECT In the course of research to develop a more efficient water-soluble polymer viscosity builder, we discovered that a very few types of water-soluble polymers exhibited a most unusual and very interesting property not previously observed. Among the earliest materials showing such activity were polymers containing acry-lamide. Fig. 1 shows a typical plot of the solution viscosity vs concentration for one of these polymer solutions as determined in an Ostwald viscometer. As usual, such a plot is an approximate straight line on semi-logarithmic paper. Now, an inspection of Darcy&apos;s law, shows that a viscosity value can also be determined in a formation sample if the pressure, flow rate and permeability are known. If the core permeability is previously determined with wa- ter or brine, then the viscosity of another aqueous fluid may be determined from the equation. The viscosities so determined for glycerin (glycol or polyvinyl alcohol solutions, for example) agree with the viscometer determinations. However, in the case of the water-soluble polymer solutions in which we are interested, the viscosities measured in the formation sample depart very markedly from the viscometer values. A typical relationship for a polymer solution is also shown in Fig. 1. This unusual departure from the expected response is referred to as a resistance property of the polymer and is quantified as "resistance factor". Since the resistance factor R can best be determined in a core under study, the term has been defined on the basis of the ratio of the brine mobility to the polymer solution mobility at residual oil saturation so that:

Jan 1, 1965

By Ray Hammond Misener

THE purpose of this paper is to describe the installation of the pumping station on the 3314-ft. level of the Carlos Francisco mine of the Sociedad Minera Backus y Johnston del Peru, at Casapalca, Peru. However, so much preliminary work was necessary before the actual installation could be started that some of that work will be described briefly, in order to clarify the discussion of the main subject. The Sociedad Minera Backus y Johnston del Peru, a subsidiary of the Cerro de Pasco Copper Corporation, owns and operates a group of mines in the Casapalca district, of which the most important are the Carlos Francisco and the Aguas Calientes. These two mines, one mile apart, are connected on their 2100 and 2700-ft. levels. These are motor-haulage levels, equipped with 3 ½ -ton Baldwin-Westinghouse locomotives operating from a 260-volt d.c. overhead trolley. A 38-cu. ft. hopper-bottom car is used. Each mine has a 2 ½ -compartment, inclined (70°) winze shaft. The Aguas Calientes shaft, operating between its 2100 and 2900-ft. levels, is used only for men and materials; whereas the Carlos Francisco shaft, between the 1700 and 2700-ft. levels of that mine, is the main operating shaft for the district. All the ore from the Carlos Francisco and the Aguas Calientes mines is hoisted through the Carlos Francisco shaft. The ore produced in these mines is by-passed to the 2700-ft. level, where it is gathered by the electric trains, taken to the Carlos Francisco shaft and dumped into an ore pocket in front of the shaft. The ore is hoisted to the 1700-ft. level in 2-ton self-dumping skips and emptied into a 150-ton loading pocket. There it is loaded into electric trains and despatched to the concentrator through the Backus and Johnston tunnel, which is the main entry from Casapalca to all the mines in the Backus and Johnston group. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM In 1934 the following development program was outlined for the Carlos Francisco and the Aguas Calientes mines: (1) to deepen the Carlos Francisco shaft from the 2700 to the 3400-ft. level, (2) to deepen the Aguas Calientes shaft from the 2900 to the 3300-ft. level, and (3) to connect the two shafts on the 3300-ft. level with a motor-haulage crosscut. Each mine was to be developed also on intermediate levels (2900 and 3100). The three levels were to be spaced 54 meters (177 ft.) floor to floor, measuring from the 2700-ft. level along the incline of the shaft. The Carlos Francisco mine, together with the section between it and the Aguas Calientes mine, produces 10,000 gal. of water per minute. A fault to the north

Jan 1, 1943

By S. S. Marsden, S. H. Raza

An experimental study of the flow of line-textured. aqueous foams through Pyrex tubes is described. The foams range in quality F (ratio of gas volume to total volume) from 0.70 to 0.96 and behave like pseudoplastic fluids. At lower flow rates they exhibit laminar flow ad have apparent viscosities which increase with quality, and which cover a range of 15 cp to 255 poise for tubes of 0.25- to 1.50-mm radius rj. At higher flow rates a plug-like type of flow is developed, the extent of which increases with both T and ri. When the same foams flow through either open or packed Pyrex tubes, remarkably high streaming potentials ?E are often generated. These can easily reach 50v if nonionic foaming agents are used, but are at least an order of magnitude less for ionic foaming agents. A linear relationship between ?E and the pressure differential ?p is observed; this usually extrapolates to positive values of ?p at ?E of zero. The slope of the line increases with both F and ri. An equation was derived to describe the streaming potential of non- Newtonian fluids in circular tubes and was used to correlate experimental results. The calculated < potentials are of the right order of magnitude. INTRODUCTION Foams are both unusual and inniguing in their physical properties, and have been the subject of many scientific studies. However, present knowledge of foams is still fragmentary, specific and often contradictory. Apparent viscosity of foam is the physical property of greatest interest to both rheo1ogists and engineers. sibreel reported that the apparent viscosity decreased with increasing shear rate in a manner similar to some non-Newtonian fluids. Penny and Blackman2 reported that fire-fighting foams had both a limiting shear stress and a tensile yield stress. There is little doubt that some foams at least behave like non-Newtonian fluids, and have apparent viscosities considerably higher than those of either constituent phase. The high apparent viscosity of foam with its concomittant effect on mobility ratio and sweep efficiency no doubt prompted several attempts by research groups to use foam as a displacing agent in porous media. Based on recent experience, most of these groups probably succeeded in completely blocking fluid flow in the porous media and then abandoned their efforts. Two groups apparently found the successful combination of experimental parameters at about the same time.3,7 Others have recently added to our knowledge of foam flow in porous media and its use as a displacing agent.8-13 An experimental problem encountered by Fried3 was a transient blockage of foam flow in porous media when distilled water was used to prepare the foam-producing solution. Fried surmised that this was due to an electrokinetic effect and he eliminated it by using electrolytes in preparing foaming solutions. He also measured the streaming potential of a number of foams in capillary tubes which he found to be appreciably higher than those obtained when the constituent liquid flowed under comparable conditions. This paper presents results of a more comprehensive study of the streaming potential generated by aqueous foam flowing in both open and packed Pyrex tubes. It also adds to knowledge of the rheology of these foams as deduced from their flow behavior in open tubes. APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE A diagram of the apparatus used is shown in Fig. 1. Details of its construction, testing and use are described elsewhere.14 Careful selection of materials, extreme cleanliness and rather elaborate electrical insulation and shielding were necessary to obtain reproducible results (±5 percent). Both streaming potential and streaming current were measured with an electrometer. The design of the foam generator developed for this work is novel (Fig. 2). It will produce uniform fine-textured foams at pressures sufficiently

By H. Brandhorst, C. G. Dunn

THE main purpose of the present note is to provide further information on the effect of orientation on strain-induced grain boundary migration in sheet material. A secondary purpose is to draw attention to the presence of a possible (hkl) dependent surface energy driving force, when the two grains of a bicrystal specimen have different (hk2) planes at the gas-metal interface, and to suggest means of eliminating this effect from the strain effect. If two grains A and B of a bicrystal have specific surface energies ? A and ? B respectively, there exists a driving force for grain boundary migration equal to 2(? B - ? A)/t, where t is the thickness of the specimen.&apos; When t is quite small and the residual strain energy densities €A and €B of grains A and B, respectively, adjacent to the boundary are nearly equal, it is possible that the surface effect may be larger than the strain effect. he difference € B - € A gives a driving force per unit area of grain boundary due to an applied strain.)2 However, with increasing t the surface effect decreases while the strain effect presumably remains constant. Therefore, at some sufficiently large value of t, it is possible to ignore surface energy driving forces.* On the other hand, the surface effect is eliminated for all value of t when both grains have the same (hkl) orientation or have identical values of surface energy. Although the previous study provided information on the effect of orientation on strain-induced erain boundary migration,&apos; no orientations with the (100) plane in the plane of the sheet were included. The present paper provides information of this kind. A seed crystal reorientation technique4 was used to prepare a large bicrystal of silicon iron (3 1/4 pct Si) consisting of two (100) grains in the (100) [001] and (100) [Oil] orientations. After a cold rolling strain (7 pct reduction to 3/4 mm final thickness), small specimens were prepared as before2 and then annealed in hydrogen. The boundary migration was such that the grain in the (100) [011] orientation always grew. After overnight anneals at 1100° or 1000°C, none of the initial (100) [001] grain remained. An anneal of 30 min at 950°c, however, provided information on the start of boundary migration. Fig. 1 shows both the initial position (lower line) and the final position (upper curved line) of part of the boundary, as revealed by thermal grooves. In a different area, part of the final boundary was not revealed by thermal grooves; the rate of boundary migration presumably was too high for the growth front to be defined by the time dependent thermal grooving process. In another area there was a vacated intermediate position connected to the initial position of the grain boundary. This indicates that only part of the boundary

Jan 1, 1962

By R. C. Mahon

THE Homer iron-ore mine is at Iron River, Mich. Because it covers a large area, 400 acres, and because there was a considerable depth of water in the glacial drift above most of the ore bodies, this mine has presented a number of unusual and often difficult operational problems. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a few of the most important problems encountered. SURFACE WATER Mining on this property was started on one 40-acre tract. The ledge in this area was the highest on the property and, although it was a real problem, water could be handled by underground pumping. During the first period of mining, drifts were driven just under the ledge and holes were drilled through to the surface material. In later years these drifts have been extended wherever possible. Although these drifts assisted in the drainage problem, it was evident they would not be sufficient alone. Before mining on a large scale could be started on this property, the water problem had to be solved. A number of test holes were put down to the ledge, and showed that there was an average 150 ft. of water-saturated glacial drift above the ledge over the rest of the mine. The upper 70 ft. was gravel and sand and the lower 80 ft. clay and hard pan, with some narrow seams of sand and gravel. It was evident that the water above the clay seam could not be drained off through openings in the ledge and for that reason it was decided to install surface drainage wells. This method of drainage was entirely new at that time and was pioneered at the Homer mine. The sinking of the first well was started in June 1929. Immediately following the first well a number of wells were sunk, but only to the top of the clay seam. This was done with the idea that a greater capacity could be obtained in a shorter time from gravel seams where the water flowed more freely and that the cost of pumping the water above the clay seam would be considerably less than if the wells had all been sunk to the ledge at once. Before the drainage of surface water was started, 1200 gal. per min. against a head of 800 ft. was being pumped from the mine. By March of 1932, with five surface wells in operation, the mine pumping had been reduced to 150 gal. per min. At this time we were pumping 5000 gal. per min., under an average head of 110 ft. from the surface wells. The total pumping costs were 30 per cent less than in 1929 because the greater capacity was being pumped at a much lower head. From 1932 to 1936 the mine was idle and all surface pumping was stopped. Since 1936, 10 new wells have been added with a total pumping capacity of 8000 gal. per min. at the present time. The water level has been lowered 70 ft. since surface pumping was started in 1929, and it is now approximately at the top of the clay. To remove the water below the clay seam, 11 of the 15 wells were sunk to the ledge.

Jan 1, 1945

By H. S. Wang, Y. P. Gupta

Diffusion of zinc and germanium in liquid silver is measured in the temperature range 975" to 1400°C by use of the capillary-reservoir technique. The ex-perinzental results are discussed in terms of the fluctuation and the "hole" theories of liquid diffusion, assunzing the solute as a point charge equal to the difference in the valences of the solute and solvent atoms. The additional coulombic interaction term due to the excess solute charge is evaluated in terms of the Thomas-Fenni approximation. The theoretical and experimental results agree with both the fluctuation and "hole" theories of liquid diffusion. No perceptible effect on solute diffusion in liquid silver of the size difference between the solute and solvent atoms/ions is apparent. DIFFUSION in liquid silver of electropositive solutes indium, tin, antimony, and homovalent gold has been previously reported by Leak and Swalin1 and Gupta,&apos; respectively. These solutes have nearly the same atomic size but differ principally from one another in excess valence (+2, +3, +4, respectively). The observed differences in the temperature dependence and the rate of solute diffusion were explained in terms of an added coulombic interaction between the solute and the solvent atoms. In the case of diffusion of gold in liquid silver, the data were found to be consistent with an effective valence for gold of -0.85, as proposed by Le Claire.3 Recently, Wang and Gupta4 have reported a study of diffusion of ruthenium, iron, and cobalt in liquid silver. The results of diffusion of these solutes and their temperature dependence were found consistent with the hole theories and the fluctuation theories of liquid diffusion, if ruthenium, iron, and cobalt were diffusing in liquid silver with relative valences -2, -1.3, and -0.5, respectively, instead of -3, -3, and -2 as suggested by the relative position of these elements in the Periodic Table of Elements. Furthermore, the predicted valences for these solutes were observed to be consistent with the sparsely available information on the magnetic properties of some of the dilute alloys of copper and silver with these solutes. In theoretical calculations of solute diffusivity, the solute was assumed as a point excess charge equal to the difference in the valences of the solute and solvent atoms. Both the assumption of a point excess solute charge and the use of the Thomas-Fermi approximation to calculate the potential of a solute charge are less precise for the case of electronegative solutes. Therefore, it was not possible to infer from the data on ruthenium, iron, and cobalt an effect, if any, on solute diffusion of the relative differences in either the Period or the size of the solute and solvent atoms or the solute atoms themselves. A study of the diffusion of Period 4 elements, specifically zinc and germanium was, therefore, undertaken since zinc and germanium, respectively, have relative valences of +1 and +3 in liquid silver and the data obtained on diffusion of these solutes could be compared with the available data on diffusion of Period 5 electropositive solutes, indium, tin, and antimony in liquid silver. From such a comparison, it was hoped to learn something about the effect, if any, of the ion size or the structure of the ion core on impurity diffusion in liquid silver. EXPERIMENT The diffusion of tracer zinc and germanium in liquid silver was studied by the capillary reservoir technique, modified adequately for use at high temperatures. In principle, capillaries containing liquid silver

Jan 1, 1970

By A. Styka, G. Fischer, S. Tour

Described herein are the results obtained during research work involving coating titanium alloys with molybdenum by vapor-deposition methods. Results show that the method can be used successfully to deposit hard adherent wear-resistant coating of methodmetallic molybdenum on titanium or titanium alloys without changing the microstructure of the titanium base. PRODUCTION and use of titanium and its alloys have increased tremendously in the past few years. The physical, mechanical, and chemical properties of this engineering metal have caused considerable enthusiasm among metallurgists and engineers. However, as with all materials, there are some drawbacks. For example, titanium is susceptible to seizing and galling on wearing surfaces. In order to produce a good wear-resistant surface, many investigations have been conducted evaluating oxidizing, carburizing, nitriding, carbonitriding, sili-conizing, and chromizing of titanium. All of these processes require high temperatures for rather extensive periods of time. It has been possible to produce hard surfaces on titanium and its alloys by a number of these processes at the expense of a deterioration of the physical properties of the base material. A practical solution to the problem of providing titanium and titanium alloy parts with a satisfactory wear-resistant nongalling surface must be one that does not involve excessive temperatures for long periods of time. Sam Tour & Co. Inc. has completed a research and development contract for the United States Army Ordnance Corps on vapor deposition of molybdenum on titanium and titanium alloys. On the basis of results obtained from the research program, titanium alloys can be coated successfully with molybdenum to provide a hard wear-resistant surface without harm to their base mechanical properties. The remainder of this article is a description of the techniques used to apply the coating and the results obtained from wear tests on molybdenum-coated titanium. Theory Basically, the technique used was the application of molybdenum by a vapor-deposition method, thermal decomposition of molybdenum hexacarbonyl [Mo(CO)] with hydrogen as the carrier gas. The selection of this method was based chiefly on the following considerations: 1—low plating temperature which would minimize excessive grain growth, 2— low decomposition temperature of the carbonyl, 3— possibilities of controlling the hardness of the plate by adjusting the carbon content using the plating temperature and pressure as the primary variables, 4—use of high vacuum, thereby avoiding unnecessary oxidation and other complex reactions with the atmosphere. Free energy data1 show the strong tendency for titanium to combine with O2 N2 or carbon from normal temperatures to temperatures above its melting point. To maintain the titanium in a film free condition, the use of as high a vacuum as possible is indicated. The literature&apos; indicates that the reaction product of hydrogen with titanium is unstable in vacuum at around 400°C. 5—Although it is indicated from the thermodynamic standpoint that there is little possibility of removing carbon from either titanium or molybdenum, the work of Lander and Germer -ndicates that the use of a suitable H,/CO ratio is somewhat effective in minimizing carbon deposition. 6—Availability of molybdenum carbonyl. In the simplest form, the conditions of equilibrium3 in chemical reactions involving decomposition of carbonyl are as follows: Mo (CO) ? Mo + 6CO 2CO * C + CO,. The plating rate is proportional to the rate of evolution of CO from the decomposed carbonyl, i.e., it is proportional to the pressure of the gaseous decomposition products. Carbon released from CO gas is the significant constituent for the variability of the physical properties of the product. High carbon deposition is favored by increasing pressure. Limitations are imposed in the selection of plating temperature and pressure. Excessive temperature re-

Jan 1, 1956

By Allan Clark

(San Francisco Meeting, September, 1915) IT is nearly three years since the metallurgy of the Homestake ore was discussed with considerable thoroughness, in a paper&apos; read before the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy. Certain changes have been made in this period which are perhaps of sufficient interest to justify a brief description, and it is chiefly with such details and miscellanies that this paper will deal. In the circumstances, a certain amount of repetition is inevitable, but matter treated of in the former paper will be referred to here only when it is necessary for the sake of coherency. For full descriptions of equipment and technique, the former paper should be consulted. The mineralized slates and schists which constitute the ore vary considerably in composition, but the unoxidized ore, perhaps constituting the major part of the reserves, contains either chlorite or hornblende (cummingtonite), with quartz, carbonates of lime, magnesia and iron, and arsenopyrite, pyrite, and pyrrhotite. Ferrous minerals predominate, and this fact has been an important factor in determining the metallurgical treatment. With one or two exceptions the minerals noted are of relatively high specific gravity, and the ore as a whole is exceptionally heavy, many determinations giving an average specific gravity of 3.00. This high specific gravity presents one decided advantage, when the&apos; cost of treatment is compared with operations elsewhere, in that the ton, almost universally the basic unit, represents a volume probably less by 10 per cent. than that of many gold ores. On the other hand, this high gravity renders more difficult the discharge of pulp from mortars, its distribution on amalgam tables, and its transportation in launders.

Jan 7, 1915