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By A. L. Barnes, A. M. Rowe

A heat transfer study was made of hot gas injection into oil shale through wells interconnected by vertical fractures. This analysis involved the simultaneous numerical solution of a nonlinear, second-order partial differential equation that describes two-dimensional conduction heat transfer in oil shale and a nonlinear first-order partial differential equation that describes convection heat transfer in the fractures. Three nonlinear, temperature-dependent coefficients were used in this work; they are thermal conductivity, thermal capacity and retorting endothermic heat losses of oil shale. Vertical fractures were considered to be of finite height. Although vertical conduction heat transfer was not considered, an estimate of the error resulting from this limitation was made. The effects of injected gas temperature, injection rate, system geometry, cyclic injection and time upon retorting efficiency were investigated. Results from this study show that the rate of retorting oil shale is a direct function of both injection temperature and rate, and the theoretical producing air-oil ratio:(AOR) is an inverse function of temperature. Retorting rates are constant until "breakthrough" of the 700 F isotherm at the producing well, assuming constant injection parameters. Retorting rates for bounded systems are higher than the analogous unbounded systems and likewise AOR's are less. The use of an alternating injection-soak routine with high injection rates is less efficient than continuous injection at lower rates. These results indicate that injection temperatures on the order of 2000F or greater may give theoretical AOR's in the economic range. INTRODUCTION Over half of the known oil shale reserves are located in the U.S., and most of them lie in the Piceance Creek basin of Western Colorado. The Colorado oil shale outcrops on the edges of the Piceance Creek Basin. At the outcrops the shale beds are relatively thin, from 25 to 50 ft thick. In the center of the basin the oil shale is as great as 2,000 ft thick and is covered with 1,000 ft of overburden. It has been estimated that there are over 1,000 billion bbl of oil in shales having an oil content over 15 gal/ton in this basin. Oil shale does not contain free oil but an organic matter called kerogen. Kerogen yields petroleum hydrocarbons by destructive distillation. It must be heated to approximately 700F, at which temperature it decomposes into shale oil, gases and coke. The U.S. Bureau of Mines and, more recently, oil companies have conducted considerable research on surface retorting methods to economically recover oil from this shale. Another approach to exploit the oil shale deposits, in particular that portion having 1,000 ft of overburden, is to retort the oil shale in place and produce the liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons through wells drilled into the shale. Some research has been done on this approach.l,2 There are several variations to the in situ retorting approach. These variations fall into one of two groups, depending upon the geometry of the system: (1) retorting in a highly fractured or broken up matrix; (2) retorting from single fractures between production and injection wells. The latter is the group studied. Several investigators,3-6 using various assumptions, have studied flow of heat through horizontal systems. The objective of this work was to make a heat transfer study of in situ retorting oil shale by hot gas injection through wells interconnected by single vertical fractures of finite height. The oil shale thermal conductivity, thermal capacity and retorting endothermic heat losses were considered to be functions of temperature. A knowledge of the

Jan 1, 1969

By L. B. Gittinger

Sulfur is a nonmetallic element widely distributed in nature. It constitutes 0.06% of the earth's crust but only a very small portion occurs in sufficiently concentrated amounts to justify mining. Sulfur occurs in practically all animal and plant life. It constitutes approximately 0.09% of the elements in the oceans; it has been found in meteorites. Sulfur was known and used by man before recorded history. The American Chemical Society approved spelling for the element is sulfur. The English spelling sulphur is used commercially in the United States. In ancient times, sulfur was called brimstone, literally "burning stone." Today the term brimstone is used interchangeably with the term elemental sulfur. Sulfur is found naturally in the elemental form in subsurface deposits associated with gypsum and anhydrite in salt domes and sedimentary formations in evaporite basins and in solfatara-type deposits associated with volcanoes and mineral springs. Sulfur occurs also in molecular combination in ferrous sulfides (pyrites and pyrrhotite) and nonferrous sulfides (copper, lead, zinc, and nickel), and in mineral sulfates (gypsum and anhydrite); as hydrogen sulfide contaminant in natural gas; as organic compounds in crude oil and tar sands; and as pyrite and organic compounds in coal and oil shales. Sulfur resources are abundant and exist throughout the world but the extent to which they can be classified as reserves is greatly circumscribed by prevailing prices and technology. Estimates of world sulfur reserves are compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Mines. A compilation of reserves by area and source of sulfur published in 1970 and presented here as [Table 1] totaled 2.47 billion tons (Lewis, 1970). The effect of the decline in prices which has occurred since the earlier estimate is dramatically illustrated by the 1972 estimate of the U.S. Dept. of the Interior which shows world sulfur reserves of only 1.2 billion tons (Anon., 1972d). Sulfur is produced commercially from one or more sources in nearly 70 countries of the world. World production of sulfur in all forms totaled 41.6 million tons in 1971. (Sulfur statistics given in this chapter are long tons.) Native deposits, sulfides and oil and gas contributed, respectively, 31, 41, and 25% of world production (Table 2). Of the sulfur produced from native deposits, salt domes accounted for 54% and evaporite basin deposits, 44%. Volcanic deposits are of little significance except for local consumption. The past two decades have seen important shifts in the world's sulfur sources. In 1950, native deposits and sulfides each supplied about one-half of the world's production. During the 1950s, sulfur recovered from oil and natural gas grew rapidly, representing about 10% of the total by 1960. Since then, the petroleum industry has continued to increase its relative importance as a source of sulfur, representing more than 30% at 1972 year-end. Sulfur is generally classified as elemental or nonelemental for statistical purposes. Elemental sulfur is sulfur produced in the pure, uncombined form. It includes production from native deposits, as well as that recovered in the elemental form from oil and natural gas or other sulfur-bearing materials. When produced from other than native deposits, it is generally referred to as recovered elemental sulfur. Nonelemental sulfur is that which is utilized commercially in molecular combination with other elements, such as sulfides or sulfates. Elemental sulfur is being produced from salt dome deposits in the Gulf Coast region of the United States and the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico, and from evaporite basin deposits in west Texas, Poland, Sicily,

Jan 1, 1975

By A. J. Griest, P. D. Frost, J. R. Doig

During the past 5 years, research directed toward the development of titanium alloys having improved strength-ductility relationships and heat treatability has been carried out at Battelle for the U. S. Air Force.1"3 In the course of this work, a method of heat treating ß-stabilized titanium alloys was developed which produced a wide range of useful properties.4 The heat treatment consisted of two steps: a) solution treating at temperatures in the a-ß phase region, and b) overaging at a lower temperature in the range 800°to 1100°F. Corollary to the alloy development work, research was conducted on the mechanism of the heat-treatment reaction. The investigations of Frost and co-workers on isothermal transformation in Ti-Cr5 and Ti-Mn8 alloys disclosed the existence of the transition phase, w, during the course of the decomposition of metastable ß phase. Subsequent work at Battelle7,8 'and at Case Institute by Brotzen and co-workerss further clarified the nature of the decomposition process. Beta decomposition was found to proceed by the following series of reactions: 1 2 3 4 a + Ti, My (in eutectoid systems). ßo, ßr, and ßU refer to ß phase of original, enriched, and ultimate alloy contents, respectively. Omega is a transition phase having a complex structure. 10-13 Step 4, of course, occurs only in ß-eutectoid systems. This paper presents data correlating transformation behavior with mechanical properties for the following alloys: Ti-8Mn, Ti-8Mn-2A1, Ti-4Mn-4A1, Ti-6Al-4V, and Ti-4Fe. The isothermal decomposition of ß in titanium-manganese alloys of similar composition has been investigated by Frost and coworkers8 and the effect of various annealing treatments on alloys in this system has been studied by Holden, Ogden, and Jaffee.14 The compositions Ti-8Mn-2Al, Ti-4Mn-4A1, and Ti-6A1-4V, were studied in the present work in an effort to define more clearly the effect of aluminum on the response to solution and aging treatments. Ogden, Holden, and Jaffee15 have invesitgated the effect of aluminum on the response of a similar alloy (Ti-8.8Mn-2.46A1) to annealing treatments, and Luini and Lee16 have made an exploratory investigation of the heat-treatability of the Ti-4Mn-4Al alloy. The Ti-4Fe alloy was studied as an example of a moderate1y active eutectoid system. Holden, Ogden, and Jaffee 17 have studied Ti-Fe alloys and have presented some hardness data for aging at 400°C for alloys of Ti-2.56, 5.01, and 7.35 iron after quenching from the a-ß field (750°C). EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES The experimental procedures generally used in the precipitation-hardening study are outlined in the following sections. Departures from these techniques are noted in the discussions of the individual alloys. Table I presents the nominal and actual compositions of the alloys studied, together with the swaging and rolling temperatures. In all cases, these temperatures were in the a-ß field and the microstructures consisted of an equiaxed a-ß mixture. Melting and Fabrication—Except for the commer-

Jan 1, 1960

By E. D. Gardner, E. M. Sipprelle

The Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act (58 Stat., 190; 30 U.S.C. Sup., Secs. 321-325) was approved by Congress April 5, 1944; it directed the Bureau of Mines to build demonstration plants to produce synthetic liquid fuels from coal, oil shale, and agricultural products. The most important oil-shale deposits in the United States are in the Green River formation of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. The oil shale of western Colorado generally is more amenable to exploitation, more persistent, and apparently richer than elsewhere in the Rocky Mountain Region. It occurs at the top of a high plateau surrounded by bold, nearly vertical escarpments 500 to 600 ft in height. The top 400 to 500 ft of these escarpments comprises an oil-shale measure that averages 15 gal of shale oil per ton; the bottom 70 90 100 ft of the measure, called the Mahogany Ledge, averages over 30 gal per ton. The full measure in a 1000-square-mile area is estimated to contain 300 billion barrels of shale oil;' the Mahogany Ledge is estimated to contain 100 billion barrels of oil. These estimates are based on numerous surfac,e samples and on core-drill holes drilled by the Government and by private enterprise. The oil-shale beds are undisturbed and lie nearly horizontal. The name "oil shale" is unfortunate, as the rock is a tough, strong marlstone. Organic matter named "kerogen" is a constituent of the rock. The oil-shale demonstration mine is on Naval Oil-Shale Reserve No. 1; it is about 5 1/2miles by mountain road from the plant site, which, in turn, is 2 miles from U.S. Highway 6 and 10 miles west from Rifle, Colo. The highway parallels the Colorado River, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, and a 66,000-volt public-utility power line. Early in the program it was realized that an oil-shale enterprise would have to be on a large scale to be commercial, and that unusually low mining costs would be necessary. The physical characteristics of the Mahogany Ledge and an overlying roof stone are unusually favorable both for large-scale operation and low mining costs. Quarry practices largely will be followed underground to mine the Mahogany Ledge. The aim has been toward complete mechanization of all mining operations. A mining unit would comprise a square mile containing 100,000,000 tons of oil shale with allowance for mining losses. An investment of $1,000,000 would be $0.01 a ton; such an expenditure, therefore, could be made to save, say, $0.015 per ton daily operating cost. A goal of a mining cost of $0.50 per ton was set up in 1945. Open-cut mining costs then were about $0.25 per ton of material handled; it was hoped that a cost double this amount could be obtained in mining the Mahogany Ledge. Costs of labor and supplies have increased since 1945 and so has the selling price of petroleum products. To those unacquainted with the character of the Green River deposits, the name "shale" suggested high mining costs. Others assumed that coalmining costs of $2 to $5 per ton would apply. To many, the expected mining costs appeared the principal handicap to the establishment of an oil-shale industry. The purpose of the Bureau of Mines is to demonstrate methods and to establish costs for mining the oil shale on a large scale. It is hoped this work will lead to the establishment of a large-scale, commercial oil-shale enterprise.

Jan 1, 1950

By William R. Barton

Iron and steel slag represent man's most successful attempt to date to profitably utilize a solid waste. Its consumption represents a solution to a solid waste problem and also represents tonnage of natural aggregates that will not have to be mined with concomitant disturbance of the land. Slag has been produced as long as iron has been made; but until a little more than 50 years ago, it was mostly a waste product to be disposed of with as little effort and cost as possible. Huge piles of waste slag were generated over the years of iron and steelmaking. Sporadic use was found for small amounts starting with slag (from Catalan forges) used for road bases by the Roman Empire. The first recorded sustained commercial use was, as is often the case in man's history, for making war. Some profit- conscious munitions maker in the 16th century realized that he could make cannon balls of slag instead of the more precious iron. Other small-volume uses gradually developed: cast building blocks, slag-lime mortars and cements, slag wool, ballast, road base, and, finally, in concrete. But it was not until after World War II that the true potential of blast-furnace slag as a construction aggregate was really recognized. Now nearly all blast-furnace slag produced is used, and much of the earlier stock- piles in the U. S. have been reduced or entirely consumed. Steel slag for aggregate use has been in commerce for only the past 10 years, and use has increased rapidly (10-50% per year) during the past 5 years as blast-furnace slag supplies became depleted. However, much remains to be accomplished in determining character and optimum conditions of use for various types of steel slags before such slags will realize their full use potential. Although slag represents only 2% of construction aggregate materials used in the U.S., its production involves certain features that make its production record far more important than national tonnage figures would indicate. Its source is in iron and steel production and concomitantly slag availability is restricted to those areas where iron or steel is produced. In such areas, it often represents one of the principal aggregates marketed and, because of special properties that make slag a selected aggregate for certain uses, the tonnage imbalance may be overcome by the importance of its contribution to quality or special characteristics of end products. The location and number (Fig. 1) of slag plants handling this annual production is governed by the geographic makeup of the iron producing industry. Prior to the period marked by World War 11, most blast furnaces were in the Great Lakes area-Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Chicago, Gary, Buffalo, Detroit, Youngstown, and Toledo, with exceptions at Baltimore, Bethlehem, and Birmingham. Since that time, iron and steel facilities have been established in Texas, Utah, and California. Today 85 slag plants in 15 states provide employment for almost 2000 persons. The slag plants also recover almost 4 million tons of slag-encrusted iron each year for return to the blast furnaces. Much of the success in developing uses for slag can be attributed to the efforts of the National Slag Association founded in 1918. Since then, it has conducted numerous field and laboratory investigations to demonstrate the properties and uses for slag and slag products. These investigations have resulted in total recognition of blast-furnace slag as a construction material of consequence. The American Society for Testing & Materials Designation C125 recognizes blast-furnace slag as "the nonmetallic product consisting essentially of silicates and aluminosilicates of

Jan 1, 1975

By A. Long, A. Silverman, J. L. Kulp

Garth Crosby has written an excellent geologic description of the deposits surrounding the Gem stocks in the Coeur d'Alene district. The ore deposits in the area of the Gem stocks may hold the key to the age and mineralization history of the entire Coeur d'Alene district. A recent isotopic study10 of the Coeur d'Alene district in this laboratory illustrates that a classical geologic interpretation of these deposits, with its implications for the whole district, may lead to erroneous conclusions. For this reason it seems pertinent to submit a summary of these results and an interpretation of the mineralizing history of the Coeur d'Alene districts. Pitchblende from the Sunshine mine has been dated as 1100-1200 million years (m.y.) by Kerr and Kulp,11 and Eckelmann and Kulp.12 This pitchblende is known to predate the major sulphide introduction in the Sunshine mine, but it clearly follows the metamorphism and folding of the Belt Series. Recently, Goldich (personal communication) dated sericite from the Belt rocks as 1200 m.y. by the potassium-argon method. This date establishes a minimum Belt age if the sericite is of metamorphic origin and a maximum age if detrital. The Belt Series, therefore, is not latest Precambrian. Lead isotope ratios of galenas have been measured and model ages calculated by Bate, et all3 for the Sunshine mine, Farquhar and Cummingl4 or the Bunker Hill and Sullivan mine, and Cannonl6,18 for a few other deposits in the district. Galenas from similar deposits in Southern British Columbia have been measured by Bate, et al,23 Farquhar and Gumming,11 and Wanless and Leech." The new work in this laboratory includes leads from ten widely scattered mines north and south of the Osburn fault, and through a vertical distance of over 5000 ft (Star mine). Included in this group are the Hercules, Sunset, and Mountain Goat mines, which are adjacent to the Gem stocks. In addition, galenas from stringers which cut the Gem stocks in the Success and Sunrise mines and the Hercules hanging wall dike in the lower western portion of the Hercules mine, were included in the study. All of the above leads, except one, give model ages of 1300-1400 m.y. for the time of segregation from the parent material. The concordance of the common lead and U-Pb ages, the great horizontal and vertical uniformity of the lead ratios, the sulphur ratios of two Sunshine mine galenas and three galenas from the Edith, Page, and Hercules mines indicating average crustal sulphur, and the U23/Pb204 ratio inferred for the original lead environment, indicate that the entire mineralization of the Coeur d'Alene-British Columbia base metal belt was derived from a deep source and emplaced in the Precambrian. One sample of galena from sulphide stringers cutting the North Gem stock at the Sunrise Prospect mine gave a modern (i.e., Tertiary) lead ratio. This mine is located at the northern tip of the stock. The presence of modern lead suggests mobilization of some rock lead during the intrusion of the Gem stocks and their outliers. Larsen et al.l8 have dated the Gem stocks as Tertiary by the lead alpha method. If Coeur d'Alene mineralization was genetically related to Tertiary magma formation and intrusion

Jan 1, 1961

By P. E. Phillips

INTRODUCTION Rocky Mountain Energy is the mining subsidiary of the Union Pacific Corporation, and has been active m uranium exploration since 1966. Since 1970, RME's uranium activities have been funded 50% by Mono Power, the fuels supply division of Southern California Edision. RME and Mono recognized the need for development of new methods for recovering low grade uranium deposits, and contacted Halliburton Services in regard to in situ leaching, because of Halliburton oil industry experience. As a result, a joint venture between the three parties was formed in 1974. BEAR CREEK The first ISL test was at the Bear Creek deposit in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming, about 60 miles north of Douglas. The mineralized sand is the tertiary Wasatch formation, which is an arkosic sandstone. The sand typically contains about 10% clay. The predominant clay being montmorillonite with some kaolin and illite. The roll front type trends occur along the flanks of old stream channels. This deposit was being considered for exploitation as an open pit mine. Routine amenability testing indicated it was quite amenable to a conventional acid leach, consuming about 50 lbs. of sulfuric acid per ton of ore in an agitation leach, while recovering more than 95% of the uranium. Hydrology testing indicated a permeability of about 1 darcy. The groundwater has a pH of about 8. 0 and TDS of about 1200. Test Facility The Bear Creek test was a summer-only operation, with no effort towards weather-proofing. Uranium was removed from the recovered leach solution by fixed bed ion-exchange columns. Loaded resin was eluted with strong sulfuric acid. The recovery plant was designed for simplicity of operation, with little concern for the grade or form of the yellowcake product. The plant was constructed of PVC piping and valves, fiberglass reinforced tanks, and stainless steel pumps. All waste streams were directed toward a lined evaporation pond. Wellfield The test pattern was a 30 foot radius 5 spot, with wells fully penetrating the 30 foot ore sand to a total depth of about 165 feet. The injection wells were three-inch PVC with slotted casing, while the producer was eight-inch I. D. , with a stainless steel screen. The eight-inch well was necessary in order to accommodate a six-inch stainless steel pump. Wells were cemented using cement baskets, at the top of the sand, to contain a latex acid resistant cement. Leach Conditions The lixiviant generally contained from five to seven gpl sulfuric acid, and about 0. 5 gpl hydrogen peroxide. The pH was generally 1.4 and EMF was usually -550 millivolts. Injection rates were rather variable from well to well, with a total injection rate between 12 and 25 GPM. Production rate was set at 25 GPM, since the production pump could not be throttled more than that. Approximately two pore volumes of solution were injected during the three-month test. Leach Results Injectivity was quite variable, but was generally rather poor, because of poor completion techniques. The problem stemmed from injecting before the injection wells had been completely cleaned of drilling mud. Pregnant solutions averaged about 50 ppm U308, with groundwater dilution varying from 10 to 50%, depending on the injection rate. Injectivity did decline with time, probably as a result of contamination of the well faces. A total of 1000 lbs U308 had been recovered when the test was shut down. This probably represented about 10% of the mineral under leach.

Jan 1, 1979

By Pramod C. Thakur

Introduction Methane is contained under pressure within the fractures and adsorbed on the surface of the coal seams and adjacent strata. It is released into the mine atmosphere during mining of the seam creating explosive gas-air mixtures. Large volumes of air, sometimes as high as 20 tons of air for each ton of coal mined, are circulated constantly to dilute and carry away methane from coal mines. Removal of methane from solid coal, wherever high methane emissions occur, has been discussed by Spindler and Poundstone (1960) and Thakur and Davis (1977). Methane control in longwall gobs is much more complicated. As longwall mining progresses, the overburden continually subsides, and the immediate roof caves behind the roof supports. Even the underlying strata heave and open up communication channels feeding gas to the longwall gobs. The pressure of gas in the underlying and overlying strata is usually higher than the ambient air pressure in the mine. Thus the mine workings become natural pressure sinks, into which gas flows from the entire disturbed zone. Winter (1975) defines this zone as the "gas emission space". Depending on the number of gas-bearing zones in the gas emission space and their gas contents, the total methane emission from longwall gobs could vary from a few to more than one hundred cubic meters of gas per ton of mined coal. Hence the ventilation of longwall faces demands a large quantity of air. This ventilation need is further enhanced by high air losses specially on caving faces (with no stowing of the gobs). The old system of longwall ventilation, the 'U' pattern, where all the air was brought down one gate road and exited through the other gate road, loses large quantities of air through gobs giving a high methane concentration at the return end of the face. The 'Y' ventilation pattern where intake air is brought down both head and tail gate roads relieves the situation to some extent but, on most longwalls, some kind of methane control is still needed. With the onset of longwall mining in Europe several decades ago, the initial work on methane control on longwall has naturally been done there. The basic principle of methane control has always been, and still remains, some means of "bypassing methane from the gas emission space without letting it mix with the mine air". In most cases the bypassing mechanism is either a strategically located borehole or a roadway. A successful methane control program depends on the following basic premises: a. Determination of the geometry of the gas emission space and location of gas bearing horizons therein. b. Estimation of the rate of methane influx into the longwall gob. c. A scheme to bypass the gas in the most economic and efficient manner and thus prevent it from entering the mine atmosphere. In successful methane drainage programs a high proportion, usually between 50 and 70 percent, of the total gas emissions in a working district is removed before it can enter the mine airways. Advantages of methane drainage can be summarized as: 1. Generally reduced methane levels in the mine leading to increased safety and productivity. 2. Reduced air requirements and corresponding savings in ventilation horsepower. 3. Faster rate of advance for development headings and economy in the size of headings. 4. Possible use of mine gas as an additional source of fuel. The purpose of this paper is to briefly review the geometry of gas emission space and methane influx therein and discuss more successful European and U.S. longwall gob gas control techniques.

Jan 1, 1981

By Edward B. Walker, Michel Grosmangin

The geological and economic conditions peculiar to the Greater Oficina area are presented to demonstrate the necessity of a low-cost, well-site method of distinguishing gas-bearing formations. The method of gas detection with the neutron log is briefly discussed and its limitations are explained. A new method is described which consists in running a second neutron log with a larger source-to-detector spacing. Field data indicate that under favorable conditions the larger spacing response is proportionately more influenced by the virgin gas zone than is the shorter spacing response. One important condition is that the gas sands be invaded, with a diameter of invasion equal to about two to three times the hole diameter. The calibration of the longer spacing log is made so that the two logs read the same deflection in shale and in a known water or oil sand. Under such conditions, gas is indicated by a positive separation, i.e., the curve for the longer device is displaced to the right of the curve for the shorter device. Because of the non-linearity of the long spacing response, low porosity formations also show positive separations. In sands with large porosity variations, the gas sands can no longer he located visually. They can be detected on a plot of shorter spacing vs longer spac-ing deflections. INTRODUCTION In the Greater Oficina area of Eastern Venezuela, the rapid and accurate detection of gas from well logs is of primary importance because of a combination of economic, geologic, and operational conditions. Briefly, these conditions are: economic—there is no market for gas at the present time; geologic—a single well may contain as many as 30 or more oil or gas sands for which intervals -to be tested must be selected; opera-tional—first, once opened to the casing through perforations, gas sands are extremely difficult and expensive to squeeze off, and second, gas detection must be rapid because the geologist must decide immediately, at the well, which sand to perforate. During the early period of exploitation in Greater Ofi-cina, when clay base muds were used, sidewall samples, together with electric logs, gave fairly good distinction between oil and gas sands. When exploitation became concentrated on deep fields of poorer sidewall sample recovery, and after the advent of oil emulsion muds, now the standard drilling fluid in Greater Oficina, the regular neutron log became the most reliable indicator of gas. In 1953, R. Norelius devised the dual-spacing neutron technique for gas detection. The dual-spacing neutron log has proved to be highly successful in detecting gas and has been adopted as a regular survey by all of the oil companies of the area. Several hundred dual-spacing neutron logs have been run in Eastern Venezuela and several tests per well are available for positive evaluation of the logs. The findings outlined below are based upon this extensive field experience. GEOLOGICAL CONDITIONS OF THE GREATER OFICINA AREA The Greater Oficina area lies on the south flank of the Eastern Venezuela Basin (Fig. 1). Nearly all accumulations of oil and gas in the area are trapped, in whole or in part, against normal faults. All known oil and gas reservoirs in Greater Oficina occur in the Ofi-cina formation (Miocene-Oligocene) or in the "U" sands. The U sands are the lithologic equivalent of the Merecure group (Otigocene-Eocene), which contains oil in many fields north of Greater Oficina. Most of the petroleum produced in Eastern Venezuela is from the Oficina formation.

Jan 1, 1958

S. Tandanand, Twin Cities Mining Research Center, U. S. Bureau of Mines As an addition to the fine reviews on drilling presented in the foregoing papers, we feel it would be appropriate to mention briefly some work in this area by the U. S. Bureau of Mines. The Bureau has had under way for several years at its Twin Cities Mining Research Center studies directed toward a better understanding of basic drilling mechanisms. The work includes drillability investigations with diamond rotary, and with percussive drilling systems, as well as fundamental studies of rock behavior under drill bit types of loading. Results of our work to date have contributed the following to the state of the art. MECHANISM OF ROCK FAILURE-Rock fragmentation through use of mechanical energy systems, including drilling systems, consists of two major components-machine and rock. The two components are related to each other by their functional behavior and their resultant motion which the components mutually influence. Forces in the systems are transmitted directly to the bit which in turn induces stresses in the rock. When the induced stresses exceed the strength of the rock, the rock fails resulting in penetration. Rock strength is a function of the forces applied to the rock. Stresses under a drill bit, regardless of bit configurations, are essentially compressive, resulting in a condition where the rock has the highest resistance to failure. The ratio of principal stresses induced under drill bits is an indication of the mode of failure in the rocks. Initially, compressive stresses under the drill bit cause rock to undergo inelastic deformation. The impression observed at the first stage of crater formation under the drill bit shows that rock is no longer elastic. Associated subsurface failure at this stage precedes total rupture which subsequently appears at the rock surface. Thus, explanation of crater formation, by applying theory of elasticity alone, is likely to be over-simplified. ENERGY VERSUS VOLUME OF ROCK REMOVED-Experimental results show that energy per unit volume of rock removed is constant for a particular rock and bit type. Rock offers a definite resistance to penetration, depending on the method of the energy application; this may be defined as the drilling strength of a rock. Energy consumption in a drilling system may be divided into two components: 1) Energy required to move the machine parts; and 2) energy consumption in breaking rock. Component 1 is dependent on the type of the machine. Component 2 is dependent on the strength properties of rock and the efficiency of the bit in rock cutting. The sum of the energy required in both components determines the total energy required in breaking rock. Our work in this area has included consideration of both diamond and percussive drilling systems. PENETRATION RATE-For a drilling rate expression to be useful in predicting field performance, it should include the operating characteristics of the drilling machine. Eq. 37, for example, is simply a statement of the fact that the drilling rate is determined by the power output of the machine (2pNT) and the power requirements to break the rock in the hole (AER). In order to predict the performance of a particular drill and the effect, for example, of the rotary speed, on the drilling rate, R, Eq. 37 must be modified to include the

Jan 1, 1967

By S. H. Moll, R. E. Ogilvie

The investigation of solid-state diffusion phenomena may lead to much information concerning binary alloys. In particular, a study of the concentration gradients present in multiphase diffusion couples can lead to the determination of the solubility limits of the single-phase fields in the phase diagram. The specific concentration gradient which results from the heat treatment of a diffusion couple depends not only upon the time and temperature of diffusion, but also upon the number of phases existing in equilibrium at the diffusion temperature. Such concentration gradients possess sharp discontinuities whose terminal points correspond to the solubilities existing at the limits of the two-phase field in the phase diagram at the diffusion temperature. In general, there will be a discontinuity in the concentration curve for each two-phase field which exists in the phase diagram between the concentration limits of the couple. A number of investigators have analyzed the gradients present in multiphase diffusion couples. 1-8 The iron-titanium phase diagram exhibits a y loop in the temperature range from 900" to 1400°C, and the limit of the a + y field lies at some composition which is less than 1 wt pct Ti for any temperature. It was felt that a diffusion study could yield values not only for the diffusion coefficients involved, but also for the chemical solubilities in the phase diagram. The concentration gradients were analyzed by an X-ray absorption technique developed by Ogilvie.6 The absorption of a monochromatic X-ray beam is measured in steps parallel to the diffusion direction and the resulting intensity gradients are transformed into concentration gradients by applying the laws of X-ray absorption in a binary system. This technique has been applied by ogilvie6 to the systems Ni-Au, Cu-Au, Fe-Cr, and Ni-Cr; by Gelles7 to the systems Be-Fe, and Be-Ni and by Hilliarde to the system Al-Zn. Linear X-Ray Absorption Analysis—The use of X-ray absorption analysis as a tool for determining concentration gradients arises from the fact that the beam is absorbed according to the quantity and species of elements present in the sample and not according to their state of aggregation. This method is more advantageous than the chemical analysis of machined layers since it is less time consuming and less expensive and can analyze a very small area. IF a homogeneous binary alloy (A + B) is analyzed with two different monochromatic X-ray beams I0(2) and lo(2) the following relation between the transmitted intensities, the intrinsic absorption coefficients of A and B for the two different radiations and the weight fraction of each element may be derived.' In (I/Io) (a+b) xa(u/p)a(2) + xb(u/p)8(2) Eq. [1] is independent of specimen thickness and density, but requires that either element A or B possess an absorption edge between the wavelength limits of the two monochromatic beams. I, is evaluated for each radiation by measuring the transmitted intensity through a varying number of foils of a suitable absorber. A plot of the natural logarithm of the transmitted intensity as a function of the number of foils, when extrapolated to zero foils, yields the value of I,. If a plot of the ratio in Eq. [ I] is calculated as a function of xA, then a master curve results. From

Jan 1, 1960

By W. David Leyshon

This paper compares the general characteristics of Florida phosphate rock for the manufacture of fertilizers and phosphoric acid. The subjects covered are relative reactivity for superphosphate manufacture and various properties of the rock for use in phosphoric acid production, including gypsum filterability, sulfuric acid consumption, foaming, relative cor-rosiveness, chemical composition, and others. Comprison will include rocks of North Africa, the western U.S., and other locations. This paper reviews some of the important properties of phosphate rock, giving particular attention to a comparison of Florida phosphate with some of the major phosphates produced in the world. It also discusses some of the techniques available for evaluatine Phosphate. rock for phosphoric. acid and fertilizer use. The use of Florida rock outside the U.S. has been increasing steadily, evidence in itself of certain desirable properties of this rock. Table I is a list of the major producers and exporters of phosphate rock as of 1965. Florida, meaning in this case Central Florida, was the largest producer of phosphate rock and the largest exporter of rock. Of a total world production estimated at 60 million tons, about 50 million tons were produced during 1965 by the areas listed in Table I. One major producing area omitted from Table I and from subsequent evaluations in this paper comprises Nauru, Ocean, and Christmas Islands, whose output totaled about three million tons in 1965. This phosphate is marketed entirely by the British Phosphate Commissioners, primarily in Australia and New Zealand, and does not get into the world market elsewhere to a significant degree at the present time. South Africa, Egypt, Israel, and North Vietnam also produce lesser quantities of rock for the international market, and these materials are also excluded from this review. The phosphate industry is now seeing the introduction of several new areas that will be significant factors in the rock market in the future. The North Carolina and North Florida areas each have capacity at present or in the near future for producing about three million tons per year. The Djebel Onk mine in Algeria has a potential of about 800,000 tons per year. In addition, announcements have been made of significant development of deposits in Peru and in the Spanish Sahara, and sizable expansions are planned in several of the existing areas that are now of minor importance. Competition for the rock market appears to be increasing so that more attention will probably be paid to evaluating phosphates available from different areas. It is not possible here to go into all the properties of even a few of the materials listed in Table I. However, it is practical to discuss some comparative properties important for making phosphoric acid and fertilizers, and to touch on the techniques used for the evaluation of various phosphate rocks. Table II gives typical analyses of the major phosphate rocks available in the world as of 1965. There is, of course, an inherent danger in labeling any analysis as typical, but it appears that variations between two samples of rock within one given area are generally less than between two samples from different areas. The analyses listed were compiled from several years of data so they may not be representative of the present output of any particular area. The range of grades represented by these analyses goes from 66 BPL for Gafsa rock to 85 BPL for Kola

Jan 1, 1968

By M. H. Caron

D. C. Ralston—The fact that none of the organizations that have worked on these ammoniacal leaching processes have contributed discussion of Mr. Caron's papers today is a matter of some disappointment. Adaptations, modifications and improvements have been made by several organizations or individuals and to complete the record I want to document a number of them. The Nicaro Nickel Co. operated a Government owned plant at Nicaro, Oriente, Cuba, during the past war. A report on the project was written for Reconstruction Finance Corp. and is in the document file collected by the Office of Technical Services, Commerce Department and filed with the Library of Congress, where it can be consulted or bibliofilm or photostat copies obtained by asking for copies of PB 97271. Nicaro Nickel Co. has obtained a series of U.S. Patents, my list (probably incomplete) of which bears the following numbers: 2,400,098; 2,400,114; 2,400,115; 2,400,461; 2,400,612; 2,458,902 and 2,473,795. International Nickel Co. has also studied the problem and U.S. Patent 2,478,942 shows that some of the complications involving occasional low extractions have been unraveled. Forward, Samis, and Kudryk, of the University of British Columbia, have also published a study of copper-nickel sulphide concentrate.' Others are interested and it is evident that this type of hydrometallurgy is likely to find a happy application in the not-too-far distant future. Caron's two papers practically amount to a summation of his life's work on the important subject of nickeliferous iron ores and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is fortunate to have been chosen the medium of publication. M. Rey—The ammonia leaching process has been the subject of certain studies in New Caledonia, but at the present time, the conditions are not very favorable to its adoption. The process is a combination of a thermal and a hydrometallurgical process. As a result, the first costs and the operative costs are rather high. To counteract this unfavorable situation, it would be necessary to make a very high extraction. But unfortunately, the process is delicate and in spite of all of Caron's valuable work, there are still many unknown factors. It is difficult to obtain regularly a high extraction, exceeding 75 to 80 pct. It would be interesting to have the opinion of Inter-national Nickel on the process and to know what the Dutch are doing in Celebes. M. H. Caron (author's reply)—I am quite familiar with the different types of nickel and cobalt ores as found on New Caledonia, and it may be pointed out that the Celebes ores are quite the same in their properties. Their behavior when treating the ores by the ammonia-leaching process is also alike and in my opinion, there is no reason why a high extraction of the New Caledonian ores could not be obtained if the process is properly applied. For the sake of completeness I may add that one of my patents has not been discussed in the papers. This patent deals particularly with the treatment of serpentine nickel ores. (Netherlands No. 62693 40a, French No. 965.786 April 21. 1948. and Cuban No. 13.625 Jan. 1950.)

Jan 1, 1951

By H. H. Kellogg

0. C. Ralston—The fact that none of the organizations that have worked on these ammoniacal leaching processes have contributed discussion of Mr. Caron's papers today is a matter of some disappointment. Adaptations, modifications and improvements have been made by several organizations or individuals and to complete the record I want to document a number of them. The Nicaro Nickel Co. operated a Government owned plant at Nicaro, Oriente, Cuba, during the past war. A report on the project was written for Reconstruction Finance Corp. and is in the document file collected by the Office of Technical Services, Commerce Department and filed with the Library of Congress, where it can be consulted or bibliofilm or photostat copies obtained by asking for copies of PB 97271. Nicaro Nickel Co. has obtained a series of U.S. Patents, my list (probably incomplete) of which bears the following numbers: 2,400,098; 2,400,114; 2,400,115; 2,400,461; 2,400,612; 2,458,902 and 2,473,795. International Nickel Co. has also studied the problem and U.S. Patent 2,478,942 shows that some of the complications involving occasional low extractions have been unraveled. Forward, Samis, and Kudryk, of the University of British Columbia, have also published a study of copper-nickel sulphide concentrate.' Others are interested and it is evident that this type of hydrometallurgy is likely to find a happy application in the not-too-far distant future. Caron's two papers practically amount to a summation of his life's work on the important subject of nickeliferous iron ores and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is fortunate to have been chosen the medium of publication. M. Rey—The ammonia leaching process has been the subject of certain studies in New Caledonia, but at the present time, the conditions are not very favorable to its adoption. The process is a combination of a thermal and a hydrometallurgical process. As a result, the first costs and the operative costs are rather high. To counteract this unfavorable situation, it would be necessary to make a very high extraction. But unfortunately, the process is delicate and in spite of all of Caron's valuable work, there are still many unknown factors. It is difficult to obtain regularly a high extraction, exceeding 75 to 80 pct. It would be interesting to have the opinion of Inter-national Nickel on the process and to know what the Dutch are doing in Celebes. M. H. Caron (author's reply)—I am quite familiar with the different types of nickel and cobalt ores as found on New Caledonia, and it may be pointed out that the Celebes ores are quite the same in their properties. Their behavior when treating the ores by the ammonia-leaching process is also alike and in my opinion, there is no reason why a high extraction of the New Caledonian ores could not be obtained if the process is properly applied. For the sake of completeness I may add that one of my patents has not been discussed in the papers. This patent deals particularly with the treatment of serpentine nickel ores. (Netherlands No. 62693 40a, French No. 965.786 April 21. 1948. and Cuban No. 13.625 Jan. 1950.)

Jan 1, 1951

By Phillip E. La Moreaux

Fluoride, generally less than 0.5 ppm, is present in ground water from rocks of Paleozoic age and older, in northern and eastern Alabama. Some of the water-bearing formations in the Coastal Plain area of the State yield water with as much as 6.8 ppm fluoride. IN June 1940, the U. S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Geological Survey of Alabama, began a study of the ground-water resources of the part of Alabama where water is obtained from Cretaceous rocks. The purpose of the study was to determine the quality, quantity, occurrence, and availability of ground water in that area. These studies have been expanded to include ground-water investigations in the area of Tertiary rocks, or southern quarter of the State, and certain areas in northern Alabama. The first report issued on these studies was by C. W. Carlston,1 of the Alabama Geological Survey. In the present paper all references to ground-water data for the Cretaceous area are taken from this earlier publication. In 1945, the Dentistry Division of the Alabama Department of Public Health became interested in the correlation of tooth decay and mottled enamel with the chemical quality of ground water used for public supplies in the State. Through a cooperative arrangement between the State Department of Public Health and the Ground Water Division (now Branch) of the U. S. Geological Survey, a report by the author2 was published in 1948. These two reports give accurate information on the occurrence of fluoride in the Coastal Plain of Alabama. At present, only scattered information is available on fluoride in ground water of the crystalline-rock or Piedmont area and for the Paleozoic area of Alabama, but it is hoped that in the future more complete information on the presence of fluoride in ground water in these areas can be collected. Outline of Geology and Ground Water: As described by Adams,3 the State of Alabama includes parts of two major geologic divisions, the Appalachian region and the Coastal Plain. The boundary between these divisions is irregular and is known as the Fall Line of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast States. The Fall Line enters Alabama near Phoenix City, extends westward to Wetumpka, Clanton, and Tuscaloosa, and then swings northwestward to the northwest corner of the State. The Appalachian region in Alabama includes three major provinces, the Piedmont province, the Appalachian Ridge and Valley province, and the Appalachian Plateau province (fig. 1). The rock formations in the Piedmont province in east-central Alabama are mainly of pre-Cambrian age, chiefly crystalline schists and gneisses injected by younger igneous rocks (fig. 1, I). They are faulted and folded and have a complicated structure. These rocks are the oldest and among the most complex rocks in the State. Generally, only small yields of ground water are obtained from rocks in this area. Even though ground water is of great importance for the development of domestic and farm supplies in rural areas and a few small industrial and municipal wells, yields in the area from individual wells generally range from 5 to 25 gpm and rarely exceed 50 gpm. The geologic formations of the Appalachian Ridge and Valley province and the Appalachian Plateau province (see fig. 1, II, and III) are separated on the basis of their structure. These rocks are of Paleozoic age, ranging from Cambrian to Carboniferous, and comprise a succession of formations consisting chiefly of shale, sandstone, limestone, and dolomite, aggregating many thousands of feet in

Jan 1, 1951

By M. H. Caron

D. C. Ralston—The fact that none of the organizations that have worked on these ammoniacal leaching processes have contributed discussion of Mr. Caron's papers today is a matter of some disappointment. Adaptations, modifications and improvements have been made by several organizations or individuals and to complete the record I want to document a number of them. The Nicaro Nickel Co. operated a Government owned plant at Nicaro, Oriente, Cuba, during the past war. A report on the project was written for Reconstruction Finance Corp. and is in the document file collected by the Office of Technical Services, Commerce Department and filed with the Library of Congress, where it can be consulted or bibliofilm or photostat copies obtained by asking for copies of PB 97271. Nicaro Nickel Co. has obtained a series of U.S. Patents, my list (probably incomplete) of which bears the following numbers: 2,400,098; 2,400,114; 2,400,115; 2,400,461; 2,400,612; 2,458,902 and 2,473,795. International Nickel Co. has also studied the problem and U.S. Patent 2,478,942 shows that some of the complications involving occasional low extractions have been unraveled. Forward, Samis, and Kudryk, of the University of British Columbia, have also published a study of copper-nickel sulphide concentrate.' Others are interested and it is evident that this type of hydrometallurgy is likely to find a happy application in the not-too-far distant future. Caron's two papers practically amount to a summation of his life's work on the important subject of nickeliferous iron ores and the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is fortunate to have been chosen the medium of publication. M. Rey—The ammonia leaching process has been the subject of certain studies in New Caledonia, but at the present time, the conditions are not very favorable to its adoption. The process is a combination of a thermal and a hydrometallurgical process. As a result, the first costs and the operative costs are rather high. To counteract this unfavorable situation, it would be necessary to make a very high extraction. But unfortunately, the process is delicate and in spite of all of Caron's valuable work, there are still many unknown factors. It is difficult to obtain regularly a high extraction, exceeding 75 to 80 pct. It would be interesting to have the opinion of Inter-national Nickel on the process and to know what the Dutch are doing in Celebes. M. H. Caron (author's reply)—I am quite familiar with the different types of nickel and cobalt ores as found on New Caledonia, and it may be pointed out that the Celebes ores are quite the same in their properties. Their behavior when treating the ores by the ammonia-leaching process is also alike and in my opinion, there is no reason why a high extraction of the New Caledonian ores could not be obtained if the process is properly applied. For the sake of completeness I may add that one of my patents has not been discussed in the papers. This patent deals particularly with the treatment of serpentine nickel ores. (Netherlands No. 62693 40a, French No. 965.786 April 21. 1948. and Cuban No. 13.625 Jan. 1950.) O F. A. Forward, C. S. Samis, and V. Kudryk: Trans. Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. (1948) 151 (Bull. 434) 350-355.

Jan 1, 1951

By Phillip E. La Moreaux

Fluoride, generally less than 0.5 ppm, is present in ground water from rocks of Paleozoic age and older, in northern and eastern Alabama. Some of the water-bearing formations in the Coastal Plain area of the State yield water with as much as 6.8 ppm fluoride. IN June 1940, the U. S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Geological Survey of Alabama, began a study of the ground-water resources of the part of Alabama where water is obtained from Cretaceous rocks. The purpose of the study was to determine the quality, quantity, occurrence, and availability of ground water in that area. These studies have been expanded to include ground-water investigations in the area of Tertiary rocks, or southern quarter of the State, and certain areas in northern Alabama. The first report issued on these studies was by C. W. Carlston,1 of the Alabama Geological Survey. In the present paper all references to ground-water data for the Cretaceous area are taken from this earlier publication. In 1945, the Dentistry Division of the Alabama Department of Public Health became interested in the correlation of tooth decay and mottled enamel with the chemical quality of ground water used for public supplies in the State. Through a cooperative arrangement between the State Department of Public Health and the Ground Water Division (now Branch) of the U. S. Geological Survey, a report by the author2 was published in 1948. These two reports give accurate information on the occurrence of fluoride in the Coastal Plain of Alabama. At present, only scattered information is available on fluoride in ground water of the crystalline-rock or Piedmont area and for the Paleozoic area of Alabama, but it is hoped that in the future more complete information on the presence of fluoride in ground water in these areas can be collected. Outline of Geology and Ground Water: As described by Adams,3 the State of Alabama includes parts of two major geologic divisions, the Appalachian region and the Coastal Plain. The boundary between these divisions is irregular and is known as the Fall Line of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast States. The Fall Line enters Alabama near Phoenix City, extends westward to Wetumpka, Clanton, and Tuscaloosa, and then swings northwestward to the northwest corner of the State. The Appalachian region in Alabama includes three major provinces, the Piedmont province, the Appalachian Ridge and Valley province, and the Appalachian Plateau province (fig. 1). The rock formations in the Piedmont province in east-central Alabama are mainly of pre-Cambrian age, chiefly crystalline schists and gneisses injected by younger igneous rocks (fig. 1, I). They are faulted and folded and have a complicated structure. These rocks are the oldest and among the most complex rocks in the State. Generally, only small yields of ground water are obtained from rocks in this area. Even though ground water is of great importance for the development of domestic and farm supplies in rural areas and a few small industrial and municipal wells, yields in the area from individual wells generally range from 5 to 25 gpm and rarely exceed 50 gpm. The geologic formations of the Appalachian Ridge and Valley province and the Appalachian Plateau province (see fig. 1, II, and III) are separated on the basis of their structure. These rocks are of Paleozoic age, ranging from Cambrian to Carboniferous, and comprise a succession of formations consisting chiefly of shale, sandstone, limestone, and dolomite, aggregating many thousands of feet in

Jan 1, 1951

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

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

Jan 1, 1982

By Elizabeth L. Robinson

INTRODUCTION The financial structure of the mining industry has changed strikingly over the last thirty years. The changes that have taken place in the last ten years include both the acceleration of adverse trends in familiar balance sheet numbers and ratios, and the subtle but extensive increase in the complexity and diversity of funding sources, both on and off the balance sheet. The objectives of this paper are: 1. to briefly trace the evolution of trends in the mining industry's financial structure; 2. to focus in more detail on changes in the last decade; and 3. to analyze those trends both within the framework of capital structure theory, and in the context of changes in business and economic conditions. This survey focuses primarily on the mining companies listed on the major U.S. stock exchanges, since financial data for these firms are readily available. The producers of minerals are a diverse lot, however, and the quantitative data on "the mineral industry" as characterized in this survey fails to encompass the financial arrangements for the bulk of production worldwide, whether owned by governments or private-sector enterprises. Even large portions of the U.S. minerals industry - subsidiaries of still larger firms, medium-sized privately-held companies, and the small miners - were not included in the quantitative part of the analysis. THE EVOLUTION OF THE INDUSTRY'S FINANCIAL STRUCTURE In the aftermath of the business failures of the Great Depression, most borrowers and lenders considered minimal debt on the balance sheet the soundest policy. By the 1950's, however, a body of literature was developing which demonstrated that the use of leverage could improve the value of the firm, given a corporate tax structure which allows interest, but not dividends, to be deducted from income. Optimal Capital Structure The objective of undertaking a new project is to improve the wealth of the current owners of the firm. If internally-generated funds are insufficient to allow growth at the desired rate, the company can raise funds either by issuing new equity, or by incurring debt. The most attractive source is the one which will provide the funds for the lowest cost. Both stockholders and lenders expect to receive compensation for use of their funds at a rate which reflects two things: (1) the return they could earn in alternative investments, and (2) the riskiness of the projected return. Factors which increase business risk include the variability of demand, sales prices and input prices, and "operating leverage", or the proportion of fixed to variable costs. In addition, from the investors' point of view, the use of financial leverage concentrates risk onto the shareholders, because lenders enjoy a prior claim in the event of bankruptcy. So although financial leverage can increase a project's expected rate of return, and therefore, presumably, earnings per share, too much debt will be perceived as uncomfortably risky by equity investors, and have a negative effect on stock prices. In theory, then, there should be an optimal level of debt which the firm's managers should seek to obtain in its financial structure. The desirable proportion of debt should in general be lower for a firm with a higher inherent business risk. In addition to their own judgement, financial managers are sensitive to the attitudes of lenders, rating agencies, and investment bankers in setting financial targets (Scott and Johnson). In practice, financial structure will also depend upon the company's growth rate and level of profitability, and conditions in the capital markets at a given time.

Jan 1, 1985

By R. E. Maringer, B. A. Wilcox, A. H. Clauer, J. H. Sovik

Internal friction measurements from 25° to 1100°C have been made on specimens machined from TD nickel bar. The use of miniature torsional pendulum specimens alloived damping measurements to be made on specimens whose axes were parallel to the original bar axis, at 45 deg to the bar axis, and at 90 deg to the bar axis. There was a marked difference in damping with varying specimen orientation, and this was related to the pronounced micro structural anisotropy of this material. Varying the microstructure by cold working plus re crystallization annealing also greatly affected the damping behavior. Recrystallization essentially removed the broad peak found at 400° to 650°C in as-received TD nickel, and in addition greatly lowered the background damping. DlSPERSION hardened metals such as SAP-type alloys (Al + AI2O3) and TD nickel (Ni + 2 pet ThO2) have been developed primarily to improve high temperature strength properties. There have been numerous damping studies on SAP-type alloys,1"9 and one of these6 showed that the damping capacity was greater than that of 99.5 pet pure Al from 25° to 600°C. Several preliminary observations on TD nickel10 and an experimental Ni-ThO2 alloy11 indicated that here, too, the damping capacity was quite high. A high damping capacity in TD nickel, combined with its relatively good high temperature creep strength, could provide an additional benefit for some high temperature structural applications. This work was undertaken to study the internal friction behavior of TD nickel bar over the temperature range 25° to 1100°C. In Ni-ThO2 and Ni-Cr-ThOz alloys, other properties such as steady-state creep rate,12 creep rupture life,12'13 modulus of elasticity,14 and ultimate tensile strength,14 are sensitive to orientation with respect to the primary working direction. Thus, in order to examine anisotropy effects in damping, studies were made on specimens machined with their axes parallel, at 45 deg, and transverse to the original bar axis. MATERIAL DESCRIPTION AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES The material used in this investigation was from the same £ in. diam TD nickel bar that has been studied previously.13'15 The structure typical of the as-received TD nickel is shown in Fig. 1, and additional details of the structure can be found in Refs. 13 and 15. Elongated grains are parallel to the bar axis and are about 10 to 15 u long and about 1 u in diam. This structure is very stable, since no recrys-tallization or grain growth occurred after annealing for 3 hr at 1300°C.13 The total ThO2 content was 2.3 vol pct and the particles ranged in diameter from 100 to 1000. The average particle diameter was 370Å and the mean planar center-to-center particle spacing was 2340Å. To examine the influence of grain and subgrain structure on damping, a section of TD nickel bar was swaged and drawn at room temperature from 1/2 in. diam bar to 0.040 in. diam wire (99.3 pct re-duction in area). The structure in Fig. 2 resulted after the wire was annealed for 3 hr at 1250°C. The recrystallized grains were much larger than the grains in as-received bar, but still showed considerable elongation in the direction of working. A high

Jan 1, 1970