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By Charles R. Fettke

BefoRe the Drake well on Watson Flats below Titusville, Pa, inaugurated the modern petroleum industry on Aug. 28, 1859, a considerable industry, based on the manufacture of mineral oils through the destructive distillation at relatively low temperatures (750' to 800' F.) of cannel coals and shales in closed, air-tight retorts, had already sprung up in Europe and America because of the increasing cost of animal and vegetable oils and fats and the growing demand for illuminating and lubricating oils. In 1860, eight out of 55 such coal-oil companies in the United States had plants located in Pennsylvania.' Of these, the Lucesco Works, costing $120,000, situated near Kiskiminetas Junction, was the largest operating in the country. It was equipped with 10 revolving 2.5-ton retorts and 16 stills for rectifying the oil, each holding 2000 gal. The total output of crude oil was almost 6000 gal. per day.2 The discovery of an abundant supply of natural petroleum by the Drake and other wells stopped the distillation of coal oil in America. Most of the smaller plants were closed and others were converted into petroleum refineries. At present, in spite of the temporary over-production of petroleum, the coal and oil-shale carbonization industries are again attracting the attention of far-sighted oil companies who realize that the gradual exhaustion of the American petrol-

Jan 1, 1923

By Charles R. Fettke

BefoRe the Drake well on Watson Flats below Titusville, Pa, inaugurated the modern petroleum industry on Aug. 28, 1859, a considerable industry, based on the manufacture of mineral oils through the destructive distillation at relatively low temperatures (750' to 800' F.) of cannel coals and shales in closed, air-tight retorts, had already sprung up in Europe and America because of the increasing cost of animal and vegetable oils and fats and the growing demand for illuminating and lubricating oils. In 1860, eight out of 55 such coal-oil companies in the United States had plants located in Pennsylvania.' Of these, the Lucesco Works, costing $120,000, situated near Kiskiminetas Junction, was the largest operating in the country. It was equipped with 10 revolving 2.5-ton retorts and 16 stills for rectifying the oil, each holding 2000 gal. The total output of crude oil was almost 6000 gal. per day.2 The discovery of an abundant supply of natural petroleum by the Drake and other wells stopped the distillation of coal oil in America. Most of the smaller plants were closed and others were converted into petroleum refineries. At present, in spite of the temporary over-production of petroleum, the coal and oil-shale carbonization industries are again attracting the attention of far-sighted oil companies who realize that the gradual exhaustion of the American petrol-

Jan 1, 1923

By H. Ries, R. E. Somers

Bodies of pyritic ore in schistose rocks have long been known in different parts of the world. The several occurrences resemble each other in being usually of more or less lenticular shape, inclosed in walls of schist or gneiss, and carrying pyrite, chalcopyrite, and pyrrhotite in varying proportions, as the chief ore minerals. The deposits differ, however, in that sometimes one, sometimes another, of the three sulphides mentioned may predominate. The orebodies in general are more or less closely conformable with the schistosity of the wall rocks, although in cases this may not hold true. The boundaries may or may not be sharp, but in general are fairly distinct. The lenses vary in size, may occur singly, or in groups; in the latter case they may be in line, overlapping, or occasionally parallel. Pinching and swelling of individual lenses is not uncommon. The genesis of these pyritic bodies has provoked much discussion, and they have been variously classed as sedimentary, igneous intrusions, hydrothermal replacements or impregnations, etc. Indeed, in some cases different geologists have most positively assigned widely diverse origins to the same deposit, as in the case of Rio Tintol and Rammels-berg.2 It is true that in the light of modern criteria, we have been able in a few cases to decipher clearly the process of origin and so there seems no. doubt now regarding the genesis of the deposits at Rio Tinto, Spain;3 Rammelsberg, Germany;4 Ducktown, Tenn.;5 southwestern Virginia;=

Jan 1, 1918

By J. J. Kramer, W. A. Tiller, G. F. Bolling

The solidification of poly crystalline zone-refined lead has been examined. A novel casting technique was used, with several advantages such as unidirectional heat flow, atmosphere control, and decanting of the liquid during any stage of growth. The experimental results show the separate existence of two textures, a (111) surface texture at the chill surface and a texture in the columnar zone, in the absence of conditions which would produce dendritic growth. WALTON and chalmers have most recently shown that the dendrite direction is the preferred axial orientation for the solidification of many metals in casting. Experimentally, for aluminum and lead, they showed that in the columnar zone the dendrite direction, <l00>, predominated, developing from an equiaxed chill cast layer that exhibited no preferred orientation. A reasonable description of the way in which grains closer to the dendrite orientation were able to encompass other grains was then set forth. For their materials, it was also shown that high superheats could inhibit a preferred axial orientation from developing, presumably by inhibiting dendrite growth. The observations of Rosenberg and iller, on the other hand, showed that zone-refined lead, cast under conditions similar to those of Walton and halmers,&apos; had a definite <111> texture in the columnar zone. However, no examination was made of the chill surface to find out if the columnar zone texture was independent of the orientations at the surface. Since the existence of preferred growth in Upure" lead is thus in doubt, a reexamination of the casting of zone-refined lead is presented here, using a novel casting technique. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES AND RESULTS Zone-refined lead was prepared from two starting materials;99.999+pct supplied by ASARCO, and 99.999pct supplied by COMINCO. The manner of zone-refining and the phenomenological tests for purity after refining, have been describedelsewhere.&apos; The casting apparatus is shown schematically in Fig. 1. The following general procedure was used: The metal was cut directly from the best parts of

Jan 1, 1963

By Max Mason

In 1923 a Western mining company was experimenting with the device of an inventor designed to locate buried ores by radio. Because the progress was slow and the results were confusing, the company began to doubt the usefulness of the method and invited me to review the whole question of the application of physics to ore detection. I was fortunate in securing the cooperation of several physicists who had worked with me during the war on the problem of submarine detection. This group has been increased and has been studying the problem of physical exploration for ores since that time. It was evident that the problem is a big one, with many angles of approach. Its general features may be set down, in rough outline, as follows: The soils, rocks and ores hidden beneath the surface differ one from another in many respects. These differences may be made to furnish a clew for the physicists working from the surface. To bring these differences into action the physicist creates some kind of an effect which penetrates into the ground and is distorted and reflected when it meets boundaries between different sorts of underground structure. In other words, he sends a message down, and the rocks and ore send back signals in reply. In picturing this process, we should not regard the ground as dense and impenetrable. The kind of messages used pass through the earth about as readily as a sound wave travels the air. If, then, the fundamental procedure is to shout down questions in the hope that an orebody will hear and answer back to us, it is clear that a large part of the expert&apos;s study must relate to the kind of questions best suited to the temperament and intelligence of orebodies. It will be easier for the ore to reply to some of our questions than to others, and it is for us to find the right questions. In certain cases, we are spared the necessity of using a messenger, because nature has already provided one. For example, we already have a terrestrial magnetic field which automatically and continually conveys messages from underneath. We also have available the earth&apos;s gravitational field which furnishes us

Jan 1, 1929

By R. S. French

The purpose of this paper is to present data that have been obtained during the past two years concerning the effects of prior cold-work and temperature and time of anneal upon the recrystallization and grain growth of 70-30 cartridge brass. It was desirable to study certain of these phases so that an accurate picture of the principles of the subject could be shown. The work is not intended to provide explicit annealing data, but to provide material examples that may help to clarify analogous problems concerning this alloy. Specifications often set limitations upon the grain size of annealed materials because of the importance of grain size upon subsequent manufacturing operations. It was, therefore, worth while to study the variables that affect the recrystallized grain size of this material. C. H. Mathewson and A. Phillips,l W. R, Webster,2 and others have presented annealing characteristic curves of this alloy. A recent typical curve presented by R. S. Pratt3 is shown in Fig. I. The tensile properties and grain sizes are shown as functions of the annealing temperature. Such curves serve as a useful guide in determining the physical properties of annealed material, but as they are made generally under carefully controlled laboratory conditions they do not indicate the performance of metal annealed in a mill muffle, where such conditions as amounts of metal, heating time and temperature may differ. Study of the effect of time and temperature upon grain growth and subscquent recrystallization was made with a coil of metal having the following analysis: 70.04 per cent copper; 0.007 lead; 0.007 iron; 0.00 tin; 0.00 silicon; 0.001 nickel; 0.000 phosphorus; balance zinc. The sample coil was obtained from metal that had been rerolled from hot-rolled mill stock, and was received at 0.228-in. gauge, soft, with a grain size of 0.125 mm. This material was then rolled 43.5 per cent to 0.129-in. gauge and annealed to a 0.053-mm. grain size. In this condition, samples were cut and used in all of the experimental work reported in this paper. Time The first study was of crystal growth at a constant temperature over a moderate length of time. Material was cut from the stock coil at 0.129-in. size and rolled 75 per , cent hard to 0.032-in. gauge. From this piece small samples were cut M by 2 in., suitable for grain-size determina.tions. Twelve samples were placed in an electric furnace uniformly across the width, approximately an inch from the floor. A thermocouple was wired to the center sample, so that the approximate metal temperature could be followed. At various

Jan 1, 1944

By R. S. French

The purpose of this paper is to present data that have been obtained during the past two years concerning the effects of prior cold-work and temperature and time of anneal upon the recrystallization and grain growth of 70-30 cartridge brass. It was desirable to study certain of these phases so that an accurate picture of the principles of the subject could be shown. The work is not intended to provide explicit annealing data, but to provide material examples that may help to clarify analogous problems concerning this alloy. Specifications often set limitations upon the grain size of annealed materials because of the importance of grain size upon subsequent manufacturing operations. It was, therefore, worth while to study the variables that affect the recrystallized grain size of this material. C. H. Mathewson and A. Phillips,l W. R, Webster,2 and others have presented annealing characteristic curves of this alloy. A recent typical curve presented by R. S. Pratt3 is shown in Fig. I. The tensile properties and grain sizes are shown as functions of the annealing temperature. Such curves serve as a useful guide in determining the physical properties of annealed material, but as they are made generally under carefully controlled laboratory conditions they do not indicate the performance of metal annealed in a mill muffle, where such conditions as amounts of metal, heating time and temperature may differ. Study of the effect of time and temperature upon grain growth and subscquent recrystallization was made with a coil of metal having the following analysis: 70.04 per cent copper; 0.007 lead; 0.007 iron; 0.00 tin; 0.00 silicon; 0.001 nickel; 0.000 phosphorus; balance zinc. The sample coil was obtained from metal that had been rerolled from hot-rolled mill stock, and was received at 0.228-in. gauge, soft, with a grain size of 0.125 mm. This material was then rolled 43.5 per cent to 0.129-in. gauge and annealed to a 0.053-mm. grain size. In this condition, samples were cut and used in all of the experimental work reported in this paper. Time The first study was of crystal growth at a constant temperature over a moderate length of time. Material was cut from the stock coil at 0.129-in. size and rolled 75 per , cent hard to 0.032-in. gauge. From this piece small samples were cut M by 2 in., suitable for grain-size determina.tions. Twelve samples were placed in an electric furnace uniformly across the width, approximately an inch from the floor. A thermocouple was wired to the center sample, so that the approximate metal temperature could be followed. At various

Jan 1, 1944

By W. S. Sanner

Experiments were conducted to determine the quantity and purity of ultraclean anthracite that could be prepared in the laboratory, using conventional separating techniques. A low, a medium, and a high-volatile anthracite were studied. Specific gravity separation followed by grinding, screening, and refloating at lighter specific gravities yielded small quantities of material purified to 1.0% ash, as follows: from low-volatile anthracite, 0.7%; from medium-volatile coal, 1.0%; and from high-volatile coal, 2.3%. The reduction in ash had no appreciable effect on the volatile matter or sulfur content of the coal. The limited quantities of material containing 1.0% or less ash obtainable indicate that if ultraclean coal is desired, a practical approach should include the processing units as an integral part of a convc.ntiona1 dense-media washing plant. Anthracite preparation practices during much of the industry&apos;s history were geared to maximum recovery of the larger sizes, pea through egg, which were used in hand-fired, domestic furnaces. Those sizes were cleaned to meet trade requirements, and the smaller sizes were usually higher in ash content. The impression, thus, was that ash content of anthracite always increased as the sizes got smaller. It was presumed that it was impossible to wash the finer sizes to extremely low ash contents. Following World War 11, the classical domestic market began to decline and the finer sizes assumed an increasingly large share of the market. For example, in 1949l 61% of the production was still pea and larger. Fig. l2 shows that -by 1955 these sizes accounted for only 50%, and in 1965, they were only 39% of the total anthracite produced. With the reduction in the market, increased quality was demanded, especially in export markets, and an increasing number of dense-media magnetite washers were installed in new and existing cleaning plants. In 1965, the coarse coal prepared at 59 breakers in the anthracite fields was sampled by the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM); approximately 50% of these plants were equipped with dense-media magnetite washers.3 Since 1950, more attention has been focused on the use of finer sizes for numerous industrial uses, including iron-ore sintering, pelletizing, foundry coke-making, cement manufacture, production of calcium carbide, and of carbon electrodes, etc. Most industrial uses require relatively clean anthracite, such as 10 to 11% ash for sintering and foundry coke, 7% for aluminum melting-pot cathode carbon, and 5% for carbide production. Hence, cleaning methods have been improved to the extent that dense-media washers, hydraulic cyclones, and flotation cells have been introduced as fine-coal-cleaning devices. It is now possible to wash the buckwheat, rice, and barley sizes (9116 X 3132-in.) to ash contents as low as 8 to 10% in dense-media devices, but washing the -3132-in. sizes to those limits presents more difficult problems, due mainly to the fineness of the material. This USBM investigation was conducted to determine the amount and purity of ultraclean anthracite that could be prepared in the laboratory, using conventional separating techniques. The goal was to reduce the ash content to a level acceptable for industrial carbon uses, including electrode manufacture, which generally requires an ash content of 1% or less. While low-ash content is of primary importance in selecting industrial carbons, the amounts of other constituents are also important, including iron, silicon, titanium, nickel, vanadium, and sulfur. They were not considered in this work, since their occurrence in deashed anthracite has been studied elsewhere.4 The results of the present investigation were used to design a flowsheet, suggesting a method for producing ultraclean anthracite as part of conventional preparation practice, using dense-media vessels, crushers, pulverizers,

Jan 1, 1970

By Keith R. Bock, Norman Parlee, Albert M. Barloga

Coils of pure iron and iron-carbon alloy wire (0.05 to 0.80 pct C) and sufficient sulfur to saturate the solid phase were equilibrated in evacuated or argon filled tubes. After rapid cooling, and removal of the outside nonmetallic layer, the wires were analyzed for carbon and sulfur and the data used to construct an Fe-S binary and isotherms of the Fe-C-S ternary in the range 1149° to 1427°C. THE solid solubility of sulfur in steel is of interest in connection with such phenomena as hot shortness, burning, and so forth. "Burning," the more or less permanent damage that some steels suffer when heated for forging or rolling, has been shown to be related closely to the behavior of sulfur and less closely to carbon and oxygen.&apos; Attempts to interpret burning phenomena in steels fail because of lack of data on the Fe-C-S and the more complex systems in this family. Rosenqvist and Dunicz 2 and Turkdogan, Ignatowicz, and pearson3 have largely elucidated the Fe-S diagram in the region of interest but no information on the Fe-C-S diagram in this region appears to be available in the literature. This paper deals with the elucidation of the Fe-C-S diagram in these interesting ranges. The method employed is different from those used by previous workers2&apos;3 on the Fe-S system. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD Pure iron wires (Ferrovac E) or iron carbon alloy wires of 1 mm in diam were cleaned with acid and acetone, coiled, and placed in silica tubes (7 mm OD and 5 mm ID) previously closed at one end. Enough sulfur was added to assure saturation of the solid iron phase. The filled tubes were either simply evacuated and sealed, or filled with argon at a reduced pressure and sealed. The argon was required at the higher temperatures to prevent collapse of the tubes. The filled and sealed tubes were placed in the middle uniform temperature zone of a Globar tube furnace and equilibrated at temperatures ranging from 2100°F (1149°C) to 2720°F (1493°C). After equilibration the tubes were removed from the furnace and quenched in air or water, the form of quenching being found to have no effect on the results. The tubes were broken open and the coils were placed in a 1 : 1 HC1 solution to remove the sulfide-rich layer. The coils were then cut into small pieces and analyzed for sulfur and carbon. In the early stages of the investigation different equilibration times ranging up to 17 hr were tried and the cores of the wires were analyzed to test for saturation. One hour appeared to be sufficient to reach maximum sulfur content at 1454°C and 2 hr sufficient at 1149°C. The practice adopted was to use at least 3 hr at the higher temperatures and at least 5 hr at the lower temperatures. The iron-carbon alloy wires used were made by carburizing pure iron wire with carbon monoxide gas in a one inch diameter ceramic tube at about 1204°C. Differing carbon contents were obtained by allowing fairly large coils to react with the gas for varying lengths of time at a flow rate of 800 cc per min. The reacting times ranged from 15 min to 4 hr depending upon the amount of carbon desired. The furnaces used were controlled by means of Leeds and Northrup Speedomax Type H instruments with D.A.T. Control attachment. Thermocouples were calibrated against the melting points of gold and copper. The temperatures recorded appear to be accurate within i2.7OC. Starting with run No. 85 and continuing with the

Jan 1, 1962

By Alexander R. Troiano, Taylor Lyman

Studies of the transformation of aus-tenite at constant subcritical temperatures have been numerous since the work of Davenport and Rain.&apos; Considerable information has been obtained on low-alloy steels and on high-carbon alloys containing undissolved carbide or graphite at the austenitizing temperature. Little is known of the isothermal transformation of aus-tenite containing in solution large amounts of both carbon and a single alloying element. In this investigation four steels containing one per cent carbon and with chromium in the range 3 to 9 per cent have been examined with the view to establishing the fundamental character of the isothermal reactions when all carbon and chromium are initially in solution in austenite. Experimental Procedure Alloys The chemical compositions of the steels investigated are given in Table I. The 4 per cent Cr alloy is a commercial steel. The other steels were made by the Carpenter Steel Co. as 50-lb., induction-furnace heats and rolled to 5/8 -in. round bars. Bars were softened at 650&apos; to 700°C. before the specimens were cut. Most of the lines on the transformation diagrams presented here have been placed on the basis of the microscopic examinatioll of partially reacted specimens, Thees specimens were approximately 1/2 by 1/4 by 1/8 in. ill size, specimens of the 9 per cent cr steel were held 10 to 12 hr, at 1200°to 1225°C. before quenching to the various subcritical temperatures. The other steels were held for 2 to 2 1/2 hr. at 12ooOC. before quenching. These treatments, carried out in an atmosphere of purified nitrogen, produced an austenite grain size larger than A.S.T.M. So. I, some grains being 1 to 2 mm. in diameter. There were a few undissolved carbide particles in some specimens of the 9 per cent Cr steel. It is believed, however, that any errors in the results due to incomplete solution of carbon and chromium in austenite are negligible; that is, austenite compositions may be considered as being those listed ill Table I. X-ray Methods Constituents were identified and mar-tensite axial ratios determined from Debye

Jan 1, 1945

By Joseph G. Debanné

Foreword The three case histories and the liquid fuels planning scenario presented in this paper span a twenty year period, from the pioneering days of computers in the petroleum producing industry during the mid-fifties, to the energy crisis era of the seventies. Inasmuch as two of the main actors, Ian McKinnon and I, are featured in all three case histories, while I am currently involved in the fossil fuels scenario, this paper provides four related and personal spot readings along an evolutionary path: from the one dimensional technical domain to the multi-dimensional techno-socio-economic domain of computer applications in the petroleum industry. Coincident with this evolution in the direction of increasingly comprehensive and powerful computer applications, the evolution in hardware/software capability and in analytical power are also kept in perspective. The three case histories are: 1. The Bonnie Glen-Wizard Lake Case (Calgary, Alberta, 1955-1957); 2. The TransCanada-Great Lakes Gas Transmission Case (Ottawa-Washington, 1966); 3. The Westcoast Transmission - El Paso Pipelines Gas Export/ Import Case (Ottawa-Vancouver-Washington, 1966-1967). The liquid fuels planning scenario is a demonstration exercise rather than a case history; however, it represents an important point on the evolutionary curve and, provides a concrete example of tech-

Jan 1, 1977

By Jay R. Burns

Two magnesium sand-casting alloys are commonly favored in the United States. These are referred to as H and C alloys (Dow Chemical Co.) or AM265 and AM260 alloys (American Magnesium Corporation). Both are of an aluminum-zinc-manganese type. H alloy contains 6 per cent aluminum and 3 per cent zinc and is characterized by relatively good toughness. C alloy contains g per cent aluminum and 2 per cent zinc and is employed where high yield strength and pressure tightness are required. Examination of magnesium castings poured in Europe and England,1,2 however, demonstrates that H and C alloys are replaced by A8 and AZ91, respectively. That is, A8 represents a magnesium alloy having superior toughness while AZ91 is suitable for high yield strength and pressure-tight applications. The basic difference between the American and European alloys is that the foreign alloys employ a somewhat higher aluminum content and less zinc than is found in H and C alloys. The mechanical properties of the alloys, when divided into high and low-aluminum groups, are quite similar, as determined from separately cast foundry-control type test bars.3 In this paper the decrease of mechanical properties caused by any given amount of microporosity is measured for H, C, A8, and AZ91 alloys. The relative susceptibility of each of the four alloys to microporosity is also determined. Typical mechanical properties and nominal chemical analyses are reported in Table I. [ ] The apparent similarities between the two alloys in each group have led to considerable discussion as to the relative merits of each of the compositions.2 Popular points for comparison between the alloys have been the relative susceptibility of each of the four alloys to microporosity5 and the effect of this microporosity on their mechanical properties. It is primarily intended, in this paper, to show the

Jan 1, 1946

By J. W. Clark, C. T. Sims

Wrought chromium-base alloys containing yttrium, cubic monocarbides of the Ti(Zr)C type, and similay alloys containing manganese and rhenium have been melted and fabricated. Strength has been studied by hot hardness and elevated-temperature tensile and rupture measurements, low-temperature ductility by tensile testing, and surface stability by oxidation testing. In additiod, studies have been conducted of the carbide stability, and of aging behavior. The carbide dispersion generates effective elevated-temperature strength, which is further enhanced hv strain-induced precipitation. The dispersion exhibits classical dissolution and aging response. The ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of these alloys is above room temperature. The alloys reported show fairly good oxidation resistance, but nitrogen contamination can cause fortnation of a hard Cr2N layer under the oxide scale. Manganese does not appear to be a promising alloying element in chromium. In the years 1945 to 1950, the metal chromium was considered as a possible base for alloy systems due to its considerably higher melting point than superalloys, its low density, its high thermal conductivity, and its apparent capacity for strengthening. However, this interest in chromium was short-lived. It was found difficult to melt and cast, to be exceptionally sensitive to the effect of minor imperfections, to have a lack of ductility at both room and elevated temperatures, and to be subject to a deleterious effect of alloying elements upon the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature.&apos; Since then, chromium, as a practical alloy base, has remained virtually unstudied. Further, purposeful ignoring of chromium has been promoted by statements that its bcc structure would not allow it to be strengthened to useful values, when compared to the "austenitic" alloys.2 Recently, a new look has been taken at chromium-base alloy systems. Study of the literature will show that chromium, providing some of its disadvantages could be eliminated or minimized, actually has a rather attractive potential as an alloy-system base. Analysis of rather scattered data suggests that chromium is quite capable of being strengthened to high levels. Also, significant strengthening of its two sister elements in Group VI-A, molybdenum and tungsten, has been demonstrated in a number of commercial and exploratory alloys. Chromium should be similar. Since chromium does not readily form a volatile oxide like tungsten or molybdenum, it offers a much higher probability of giving birth to alloy systems with useful oxidation resistance. Concerns about possible high elemental vapor pressure have been mitigated by recent data.3 In addition, the physical properties exhibited by chromium are attractive for application as a high-temperature structural material. For instance, its thermal conductivity varies from 49 to 36 Btu-ft/hr-sq ft-°F over its range of usefulness (which is two to four times higher than most superalloys), its density is about 7.2 g per cc (20 pct less than most nickel-base alloys), its coefficient of thermal expansion varies from 4 to 8 x 10-6 per OF, and it has a relatively high modulus of elasticity, approximately 42 x 10&apos; psi.4 Alloying studies on a chromium base in the past have usually encompassed rather sweeping solid-solution alloy additions for strengthening. This is not consistent with contemporary alloying practice in Group VI-A. For instance, molybdenum, also in Group VI-A, is primarily alloyed for strength improvement by use of heat-treatable carbide dispersions.5 Chromium and molybdenum are similar in their chemical activity and other properties. Thus, strengthening of chromium by carbide dispersions was studied. Chromium-base alloys are plagued with room-temperature brittleness, although high-purity unal-loyed chromium can be made ductile.4,8 Use of yttrium as a scavenger has done much to improve ductility and resistance to nitrogen embrittlement in chromium systems,7 so it was utilized in this program. It has also recently been found8 that small rhenium additions (1 to 5 pct) create improvement in the ductility of Type 218 tungsten wire. This is apparently related to the remarkable effect of rhenium additions near its terminal solid solubility in all Group VI-A metals.9&apos;10 Investigation to establish if dilute concentrations of rhenium would also be effective in chromium appeared to be logical for this program. Since rhenium is too expensive to be practical in alloys for application as structural components, ductility improvements through solid-solution alloying were also sought by substitution of manganese for rhenium; manganese, like rhenium, exists in Group VII of the periodic system. The optimum amount of carbide dispersion for chromium-base alloys was obtained by analogy with molybdenum. Strengthening in molybdenum is achieved by use of Ti-Zr carbide dispersions. A

Jan 1, 1964

By Hertha Freche

THE diffusion of magnesium and silicon from the core into the high-purity coating of Alclad sheet is important commercially, and led to the use of a duplex product for the study of diffusion by means of spectro-graphic analysis of successive layers. It has been found that in the duplex materials the diffusion of magne-sium from an undersaturated aluminum-magnesium alloy into its high-purity aluminum coating is approximately of the same order of magnitude as the diffusion of silicon from a saturated aluminum-silicon alloy into its high-purity aluminum coating. However, if magnesium and silicon are both present in the alloy in the ratio of Mg2Si they appear to diffuse in the approximate ratio of this compound. Finally, if the alloy contains silicon in excess of the amount required by magnesium silicide, the amount of diffused silicon in the high-purity aluminum coating will also be in excess. The interdiffusion of metals in the solid state is of both scientific and technical interest, because it is helpful in the study of the alloy structure and in the solution of problems pertaining to the strength and surface condition of the fabricated product. W. C. Roberts-Austen1 carried out the first quantitative determination of the coefficient of diffusion of gold into lead. This classical experiment was followed by a series of investigations on the diffusion of metals and nonmetals in iron and steel and in nonferrous metals and alloys. Recently the diffusion of copper in coated strong aluminum alloys was investigated by A. Burkhardt2. This appeared to be the first published investigation on the diffusion of metals into aluminum.

Jan 1, 1936

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

The Niobates (Columbates) and Tantalates are chiefly salts of metaniobic and metatantalic acid, RNb2O6 and RTa2O6; also in part Pyroniobates, R2Nb2O7, etc. Titanium is prominent in a number of the species, which are hence intermediate between the niobates and titanates. Niobium and tanta¬lum also enter into the composition of a few rare silicates, as wöhlerite, låvenite, etc. The following groups may be mentioned: The isometric PYROCHLORE GROUP, including pyrochlore, microlite, etc. The tetragonal FERGUSONITE Group, including fergusonite and sipylite. The orthorhombic COLUMBITE Group, including columbite and tantalite. Also the orthorhombic SAMARSKITE GROUP, including yttrotantalite, samarskite, and ånnerodite. The species belonging in this class are for the most part rare, and are hence but briefly described.

Jan 1, 1922

By H. A. Bedworth

ALLOYS of copper and silicon have been known for one hundred years or more but the commercial development of this type of alloy has taken place during the past few years. In 1905, Sperry1 proposed the use of copper-silicon alloys for springs and other purposes for which copper-tin bronzes were used. Some attention was given to this proposal at the time but no one succeeded in producing a practical alloy containing more than a fraction of a per cent. of silicon. The equilibrium relations of the copper-silicon system were studied first by Rudolfi2 and later by Sanfourche3 and Corson.4 The constitution of the system has also been recently investigated by Matuyama,5 and in the laboratories of the American Brass Co. by Smith.6 Some of the physical properties of the copper-silicon alloys have been investigated by Norbury7 and by Geiss and Van Liempt.8 Summarizing the results of various investigators of, the constitution of copper-silicon alloys, the solubility reaches its maximum value, 6.7 per cent. silicon, between 721° and 782° C. At 852° C. the solubility is 5.25 per cent., while at 400° C. it is only 4.1 percent. silicon. The copper-silicon alloy begins to get so hard at about 3 per cent. silicon that it is difficult to manage. It was found by Jacobs that the addition of manganese to this alloy considerably improved the working

Jan 1, 1929

By A. W. Ambrose

The underground losses of oil exceed by hundreds of thousands of barrels all the oil that has been lost in storage, transportation, or refining. The quantity lost is, of course, indeterminate; but when it is considered that the contents of an entire oil field have been excluded from recovery by invading waters, some idea of the amount wasted may be gained. Similarly, enormous quantities of gas have been lost underground. Conservation of the oil, therefore, should start before it is brought to the surface rather than after it is placed in storage tanks. Water is one of the most important causes for underground losses and the operator should give as serious consideration to an underground flood of water as he would to a destructive surface flood. The best insurance, of course, is to have the wells drilled in such a manner that water has no access to the productive oil and gas horizons, and on abandonment the wells should be properly plugged. The encroachment of edge water and the occurrence of waterin;the base of an oil sand present a very serious problem to an oil company sooner or later these waters are bound to cause considerable damage, if they do not entirely destroy the possibilities of further production. Too often, however, a field has been considered to be in a hopeless condition, whereas wells in as bad a condition in other areas have been repaired and the life of the field appreciably lengthened. The corrections are very often suggested by technical study. Very successful results have been accomplished by detailed underground work in the California oil fields, in Cushing, Oklahoma, and in other areas. The purpose of this paper is to outline briefly1 general methods of analyzing oil-field water problems in a producing or in a producing and developing oil field, with a view to suggesting repair work on offending wells. Reference is continually made to producing oil wells; the same general method of procedure, however, should be adopted in a gas field.

Jan 1, 1921

By N. J. Grant, K. M. Zwilsky

A series of copper-alumina dispersion strengthened alloys were prepared using three different copper and two different alumina powder sizes. Improvements in strength of up to ten times that of pure copper were found in room-temperature as well as elevated-temperature stress-rupture tests. Conductivity values remained from 70 to 90 pct that of pure copper. The best alloys were based on the finest metal powder (1 p) and contained from 7.5 to 10-0 vol pet of 0.018 or 0,033 p alumina. DISPERSION strengthening of metals consists of strengthening a metal matrix by the addition of oxides or other refractory constituents, followed by strain hardening, in order to reinforce the base material and extend its temperature range of application. Since the discovery of SAP by lrmannl and Von zeerleder2 in 1949, many investigators have reported data obtained on a variety of metal-inert oxide alloys.3-7 The present work deals with the mechanical mixing of copper and alumina powders. While several techniques of introducing the second phase have been investigated to date, mechanical mixing so far has been recognized as the simplest, least expensive, and most universally applicable technique that can be used to obtain an ultrafine dispersion of inert particles. In the present case, the effects of changing the metal particle size, the oxide particle size and the volume percent of oxide were investigated. This work is an extension of a previous study.6 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The starting materials were three different grades of copper powder and two different alumina powders. The three metallic powders were -74 µ(- 200 mesh) electrolytic copper powder consisting of irregular equiaxed particles having a normal screen distribution and analyzing 99.5 pct Cu, and two powders having a 5-µ and 1-µ particle size, average, respectively. The latter powders were produced by the hydrogen reduction of purified sulfate solutions at elevated temperature and pressure and were furnished by the Sherritt Gordon Mines, Ltd. The alumina used was obtained from Godfrey L. Cabot Co., under the trade name of Alon C, one batch of powder having a particle size of 0.018 µ, the other a particle size of 0.033 µ. The crystal structure of these alumina powders was found to be cubic gamma. Each batch of powder was mixed in a Waring Blendor for a total of 15 min, followed by a low-temperature reduction in hydrogen and vacuum compacting in cylinders which were hydrostatically pressed at 35,000 psi to give a compact that could be handled conveniently. Six of the compacts were hydrogen sintered at 900°C while the remaining four were sintered at 1000°C. Subsequently, all compacts were hot extruded at 760°C with a reduction of area ratio of approximately 20 to 1. Evaluation of alloys included density and resistivity measurements, room-temperature tensile tests, stress-rupture tests at 450°C plus one other temperature per alloy, hardness tests, microstruc-tural examination, X-ray analysis of the dispersed phase after dissolving the metal phase, and oxidation studies on two of the alloys. A vacuum-melted, wrought copper rod was tested together with these alloys for comparison purposes. RESULTS Table I is a summary of the compositions, sintering temperatures, densities and conductivity values of the ten alloys prepared. All alumina additions are given in volume percent, and will be referred to as

Jan 1, 1962

By G. W. Lester, T. J. Nowak

The paper presents a practical method of utilizing pressure fall-off data obtained when a water injection well is shut in for determination of: (I) the static reservoir pressure, (2) the potential water injective capacity (md-ft) of the formation, and (3) the formation damage (skin effect) surrounding the wellbore. In the development of the method, equations are presented which give The theoretical background for predicting the behavior of water injection wells. Certain physical factors which limit the application of the method are discussed. The procedure and the relevant precautions in obtaining the data are discussed. A sample analysis and computation from an actual pressure fall-off curve is illustrated. Fintrlly, general characteristics of pressure fall-off curve! obtained in several reservoirs are presented. INTRODUCTIO N Theoretically, in an injection well the flow of water into the formation will continue as long as the sand-face pressure is greater than the reservoir pressure. However, in practice, engineers have observed that upon stopping injection and opening the wellhead to atmospheric pressure, some wells backflow water for time intervals ranging from several seconds to several hours although the sand-face pressure, as calculated from the hydrostatic head, is considerably greater than the static reservoir pressure. Further, field observations indicated that upon shutting in a water input well, the wellhead pressure does not drop off immediately, but a pressure decline occurs lasting from several seconds to several days. These observations make it evident that when an input well is shut in, a residual pressure lingers in the vicinity of the wellbore which is greater than the average reservoir pressure. This residual pressure declines first rapidly, then more slowly, to the static reservoir pressure: therefore, it is called transient back-pressure or pressure fall-off. The first step in investigating the mechanism of pressure fall-off is to establish what general conditions are necessary for its occurrence, and to this end, Dickey and Andresen1 have presented a qualitative explanation describing the mechanism. They point out that the formation pressure gradient in the vicinity of the well does not disappear immediately when the input well is shut in, as if the system were filled with a totally incompressible fluid, but it is maintained by the expansion of the compressible fluids and by the elasticity of the formation. In such a compressible system the decrease in pressure is possible only to the extent that the water front continues to advance until the pressure is equalized. The principal aim of this paper is three-fold; namely. (1) to present a theoretical quantitative analysis of pressure fall-off data, (2) to present an application of the developed theory to field data, and (3) to discuss the general characteristics of actual pressure fall-off curves. Under (I), theoretical equations dealing with such factors as compressibility of the fluid-reservoir system, mobility of the fluids and certain physical restrictions that

Jan 1, 1956

By J. B. Hess, R. L. Dietrich

IN the mechanical twinning of magnesium on the {1012} planes the crystallographic deformation is such that, in the direction of the hexagonal axis [0001], twinning is possible only under tension stress, while in the directions perpendicular to the hexagonal axis, twinning is possible only under applied compression. Thus in extruded magnesium and magnesium alloys where the extruded textures are best described as either [1010] or [ 1120] fibers,1 the basal planes are all nearly parallel to the extrusion axis and such material is susceptible to {1012 } twinning by compression in the direction of the extrusion axis. In order to explain the results of cyclic stressing in alternate tension and compression upon the tangent elastic modulus in such material, Dorn and Thomsen2 have postulated that, following twinning under applied compression, a retwinning or untwinning occurs as a result of residual microtensile stresses immediately upon removal of the applied compressive force. Recently, Carapella and Shaw3,4 have used this supposition of untwinning in magnesium in discussing their results on indentation hardness and on cold drawing of MI sheet. In trying to confirm this hypothesis by suitable direct experiments, the authors have been unsuccessful in detecting any evidence whatsoever that untwinning follows the release of applied compression and are forced to conclude that this hypothesis is improbable or, at least, that the quantity of material involved is small. For the experiments, small cylindrical specimens 0.040-in. diam. X 0.120- to 0.140-in. long were etched from 0.0625-in. extruded rod. The ends of the specimens were accurately faced off parallel in a jeweler&apos;s lathe. The compression jig was simply an ordinary set of micrometer calipers with an anvil interposed between the spindle and the specimen. The anvil was free to move axially but restrained from rotating so that the rotation of the spindle would not introduce a twisting stress on the specimen. With this arrangement the compressive strains could be estimated to 0.0001 in. and X ray pinhole photographs could be taken with or without load as required. Fig 1 is the pattern of an uncompressed specimen of AZ31 alloy, showing the approximate [1010] extrusion fiber. The X ray beam is normal to the extrusion axis; in this position it is particularly sensitive in detecting twinning if one directs his attention to the diffraction ring from the basal plane. Since twinning on {1012} planes produced an 86° reorientation of the crystal lattice, the original basal reflections occur at the 3 and 9 o&apos;clock positions while the (0002) reflections from any twinned material will occur at the 6 and 12 o&apos;clock positions. Fig 2 shows the same specimen compressed 3.0 pct, photographed while still under load. This strain has been just enough to produce a detectible amount of twinning and the sensitivity is roughly indicated by the fact that no alterations were produced in the intensities or maxima of the other diffraction rings. A strain of

Jan 1, 1948