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By L. D. Clark

Pay-out, the ratio of capital expenditure to annual cash return can be very revealing when employed to gage the merits of a proposed mining venture. It is a quantity, numerically but not physically equal to a factor, by which cash return may be discounted to equal required investment. The fewer the pay-out years, the greater the average annual earning power of the project. Considerable material has been written in the past about the most important and difficult problem mining management faces in evaluation of a property: the optimum production rate for the venture. What daily capacity should be adopted for the proposed operation that it may be the most rewarding to those underwriting it? H.C. Hoover has said, "The most important objective is the least cost per ton mined; and minimum working costs can only be gained by the most intensive production." Theoretically and practically, the quicker the ore is removed, the more profitable should be the venture because of the saving in fixed charges, the consequent lower unit costs and the interest unearned by the profit from the unmined ore. Yet, such performance will be tempered by policy and a restraint imposed by the ratio of capital expenditure to annual cash return. * The 'Annual net profit after taxes but including depreciation and depletion allowances. former will be based upon an analysis of the economic climate anticipated, with its many ramifications including the demand for the product, prices, tax laws, the conduct of labor and related wage scales. The variables and intangibles involved in estimating the optimum production rate for a mine do not readily lend themselves to mathematical relationships or equations and the problem can become complex indeed. The more readily applicable and relatively faster appraisal method will be used which, in addition to being reasonably adequate in most cases, will serve as a guide, should a more expanded and detailed estimate be desired. The first question is what is company policy with respect to the rate of investment return? This will depend on that significant period of time referred to as the pay-out, which can be defined as the estimated interval during which capital investment is returned through application of annual cash return to its recovery. Expressed another way, it is the ratio of capital expenditure to the annual cash return. For example, if the capital investment is $C and the annual cash return is $A (after Federal tax), then $C/$A = the pay-out period in years. That is to say, if $C = $1,500,000 and $A = $214,000, then which is the mathematical expression for the period of time it takes to recover the funds originally invested in a mining enterprise. The relationship yp = $C/$A can be useful — an expression which requires only the significant tern yp to be fixed; in other words, the long range investment policy. For what is the pay-out period but an expression of that policy in terms of the speed, within practical limits, with which an individual or company may want to recover capital expenditure? A policy by which pay-out will be fixed is imperative. This ratio must lie within relatively narrow limits governed by what is economically feasible. It cannot be too low, rendering the ratio impractical or absurd, nor too great, delaying the return of capital for reinvestment beyond a commensurate interval. What pay-out will govern this policy? Federal corporate taxes would seem to present the best measure. Consider mining in Canada where new mines are exempt from Federal income tax for 3½ yr from date of first production. This exemption expressly allows The Act states: "A corporation . . . i s not required to include the profits . . . for the period of 36 months commencing with the day on which the mine came into production in reasonable commercial quantites." a company to recover capital expenditure during the early stages of production. With such an incentive, it is logical to strive for as much capital redemption as possible during this period. Thus, 3½ yr would be a major contribution to the pay-out in Canada. Furthermore, it generally takes from 1½ to 3 yr to develop

Jan 1, 1963

By Albert E. Wood, Edgar R Shepard

The interest of the Federal Government in improvement of waterways dates from 1820, when Congress appropriated $5000 for making a survey of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and assigned this work to the Corps of Engineers of the Army. Since that time the Government has gradually assumed increasing jurisdiction in the matter of improvement and control of inland waterways until, by the River and Harbor Act of Jan. 21, 1927, Congress assigned to the Secretary of War and to the Chief of Engineers the duly of making surveys, in accordance with House Document No. 308, 69th Congress, to formulate plans for the most effective improvement of the navigable streams of the United States and their tributaries, for navigation, development of water power, control of floods, and the needs of irrigation. Virtually all the preliminary investigations and surveys required by this act have been completed. The reports made to Congress have been published and often are referred to as ''308 Reports." The map shown in Fig. 1 is merely a skeleton distribution of the projects covered by these reports, but it serves to indicate the magnitude of the proposed undertaking. In many instances, a single character on the map stands for a major development involving several dams and reservoirs or many miles of canals or levees. The devastating floods of 1936, and the need for worthy public works to take up the slack in employment, gave further impetus to this program and in 1936 led to the enactment of a bill authorizing a large number of these projects. The National Flood Control Act of 1936 specifically authorizes some 270 flood-control projects in 31 states, and affecting nearly every state in the Union, with an estimated construction cost of about $300,000,000. In addition, the 1936 Act directs the Secretary of War to make preliminary examinations and surveys for flood control in some 230 additional localities, and to continue surveys and studies of 18 reservoir sites. The Corps of Engineers is proceeding rapidly with foundation investiga-

Jan 1, 1940

By Albert E. Wood, Edgar R. Shepard

The interest of the Federal Government in improvement of waterways dates from 1820, when Congress appropriated $5000 for making a survey of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and assigned this work to the Corps of Engineers of the Army. Since that time the Government has gradually assumed increasing jurisdiction in the matter of improvement and control of inland waterways until, by the River and Harbor Act of Jan. 21, 1927, Congress assigned to the Secretary of War and to the Chief of Engineers the duly of making surveys, in accordance with House Document No. 308, 69th Congress, to formulate plans for the most effective improvement of the navigable streams of the United States and their tributaries, for navigation, development of water power, control of floods, and the needs of irrigation. Virtually all the preliminary investigations and surveys required by this act have been completed. The reports made to Congress have been published and often are referred to as ''308 Reports." The map shown in Fig. 1 is merely a skeleton distribution of the projects covered by these reports, but it serves to indicate the magnitude of the proposed undertaking. In many instances, a single character on the map stands for a major development involving several dams and reservoirs or many miles of canals or levees. The devastating floods of 1936, and the need for worthy public works to take up the slack in employment, gave further impetus to this program and in 1936 led to the enactment of a bill authorizing a large number of these projects. The National Flood Control Act of 1936 specifically authorizes some 270 flood-control projects in 31 states, and affecting nearly every state in the Union, with an estimated construction cost of about $300,000,000. In addition, the 1936 Act directs the Secretary of War to make preliminary examinations and surveys for flood control in some 230 additional localities, and to continue surveys and studies of 18 reservoir sites. The Corps of Engineers is proceeding rapidly with foundation investiga-

Jan 1, 1940

By H. W. Schreiber, G. R. Castle

INTRODUCTION The small mining company faces the dilemma of how to finance the development of its properties. Many of these small companies don't have the financial resources to pay for development costs from their own funds and frequently they do not even have the financial strength to permit them to borrow the money needed for development. A project financing can sometimes be arranged in such a way as to solve this dilemma. A typical project financing will not provide the answer to the "little guy's" problem because most project financings require that the sponsors of the project provide completion undertakings and sometimes other undertakings. These undertakings are often a prerequisite to obtaining financing, and if the sponsor is not financially strong enough to provide the comfort that the lenders require, then the sponsor will have difficulty obtaining financing no matter what undertakings are offered. However, with a little imagination and the right set of circumstances, a project financing can sometimes provide the solution to the small mining company's problem. The Strathcona Sound Project is unusually suited as a case study because the sponsor, Mineral Resources International Limited,(MRI) was able to arrange a project financing for the development of the project even though the lenders probably would not have been willing to loan a similar amount of money direct to MRI based on the full faith and credit of MRI's balance sheet. The way that MRI was able to arrange this financing makes for an interesting story. THE CASE In early 1974, MRI owned 100% of a small to medium sized zinc - lead - silver massive sulfide deposit (Property) located 475 miles north of the Arctic Circle less than two miles from deep water on Strathcona Sound which is a shipping zone in the Canadian Arctic. The Property was situated at a desolate location except for an Eskimo settlement (Arctic Bay) which was about 20 miles west of the Property. In other words, the project required that complete infrastructure would need to be installed in this far northern location. Independent reserve and feasibility studies (Study) had been completed on the Property which confirmed a total of 6,825,000 tons of reserves classified and summarized as shown below on Table I: [ ] These reserves were based on 229 diamond drill holes totalling 58,909 feet and were established on a cut-off grade of 7% zinc and a minimum mining height of seven feet. The overall mining recovery rate was estimated at not less than 85% and not more than 90%. The feasibility study indicated that it would cost an estimated $45,044,000 to develop an underground mine, a concentrator, a town-site, a power plant, storage facility, loading dock, a tailings disposal area and an airstrip on the Property with an annual capacity of 525,000 tons of ore per year. The construction period was expected to take two years and projected capital costs were broken down as set forth below on Table II:

Jan 1, 1985

By George H. Eldridge

The existence of phosphate of lime within the State of Florida has been known for over a decade; but until the spring of 1887, the extent and value of its deposit.;, possibly with one exception, were unsuspected. In that year Col. T. S. Moorehead, induced by a statement made by Mr. J. F. Le Baron, examined the gravels of the Peace river, recognized the importance of the deposits, acquired such tracts as were regarded as desirable, and established the pebble-phosphate industry, making his first shipment in May, 1888, to the Scott Manufacturing Company, of Atlanta, Ga. The establishment of the pebble-phosphate industry upon Peace river was followed, a year later, by the discovery in Marion county of an entirely different class of phosphate, now commonly known as hard-rock phosphate. This discovery was made early in June, 1889, by Mr. Albertus Voght, in a well which he was sinking upon his place near the site of the present town of Donnellon, about 20 miles southwest of Ocala. To it, more than to any other cause, is due the rapid and remarkable development of the present great industry of the State. It was, however, Mr. John F. Dunn, of Ocala, who turned to advantage the accidental discovery of Mr. Voght. After acquiring a knowledge as to the chemical composition and value of the material, Mr. Dunn and hid associates purchased several thousand acres of land and organized the Dunnellon Phosphate Company for active operations. From Dunnellon as a center, prospecting rapidly extended in all directions, until at the present day important mines have been opened over a well-defined tract more than 200 miles long and about 6 miles wide. This tract lies par-

Jan 1, 1893

By H. W. Mead, C. E. Birchenall

SELF-DIFFUSION of iron in austenite is a process which may play a significant role in some of the practically important reactions which occur in solid irons and steels. It also provides a system in which the interaction of vacancies on substitutional sites and atoms in interstitial positions may be investigated. For both purposes, accurate values of the diffusivities are required. Two sets of previous measurements exist, each containing features which require checking. In the course of an investigation to determine the rate of diffusion of iron in certain steels, Garwick and Rosenqvist' measured the self-diffusion coefficient of iron in a 0.10 pct* C steel and obtained a dicated that while at lower temperatures D increased with increasing carbon content, at the higher temperatures it first increased and then decreased. At the same time the activation energy decreased linearly from a value of 69,000 cal per g-atom for pure iron to 33,000 cal per g-atom at 1.06 pct C. This rapid decrease in activation energy implies that iron at higher temperatures within the austenite range would diffuse more slowly in high carbon steels than in steels of lower carbon content. Experimental Procedure The radioactive iron used in this work was obtained from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The unit consisted of about 1 microcurie each of Fe7 and Fe It was allowed to decay for two years. At the end of this time most of the Fe with a half-life of 46.3 days, had decayed, while most of the original Fe(half-life 2.91 years) still remained. The iron as chloride was extracted into an ether layer, using the method of Ashley and M~rray. After evaporation of the ether the iron chloride was dissolved in 250 ml of aqueous solution containing 2.4 gpl Fe. The compositions of the steels used are listed in Table I. Disks of ¾ in. diam and about ¼ in. thick were machined from these steels for use in diffusion couples. The disks were surface ground on both sides to ensure parallel opposite faces. One face of each disk was polished through 000 emery paper. Half of the prepared disks were plated with radioactive iron. For this, 1 ml of the radioactive iron

Jan 1, 1957

By P. K. Chatterjee

The overall success of many strip coal mining operations depends primarily upon the efficient use of draglines to remove overburden. These machines require enormous capital investment and unless used efficiently the profitability of a venture is adversely affected. It is important that the dragline works continuously and it is imperative that the walking path and other facets of its operation be predetermined exactly so that the desired production rate is achieved with a minimum of non-productive time. Details of dragline operations which are of particular interest are walking path, prediction of best cut and positioning to maximize production, the angle of swing which produces the swiftest operation, optimum fill factor allowable for the type of material and conditions of ground, the maximum depth from which it can excavate and operating level with respect to the elevation of the high wall. The aims of the present paper are: 1. To establish a cut-off point in the cost-depth ratio. 2. Predict the most economic method of stripping in a given area using graphical plots of walking path implemented with information necessary to ensure optimum production. The optimum operating efficiency of the dragline in relation to the terrain and other conditions imposed on its operation will be evaluated. The model is based upon operating data which has been collected from site observations of a large strip coal mining operation in Central Queensland, Australia.

Jan 1, 1977

By Robert W. Thompson, Darry A. Ferguson

In August, 1977 the United States Congress passed Public Law 95-87 which has been commonly referred to as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (or SMCRA). This title is somewhat misleading in that the act creates as many regulatory requirements for underground coal mines as for surface coal mines. How- ever, this paper will concentrate on the effects of SMCRA on designs and stability for various activities of surface coal mines, specifically those concerning "Disposal of Excess Spoil". In the past, the objective of most laws and regulations applicable to the mining industry has been to achieve goals of safety or environmental concerns for all types of mining. However, SMCRA is unique in that it sought to regulate-all-activities of coal mining from initial data gathering, exploration, mine design and facilities design to reclamation activities and design. More specific to the stability of the activities of surface coal mining, special criteria for design and construction performance standards have been promulgated for the construction and maintenance of roads, dams and embankments, coal processing waste, ex- cess spoil piles, backfilled reclamation and pit slides. The criteria for design for the previously mentioned facilities has been enumerated by regulations and in many ways restrict the use of site specific design parameters. The restrictions imposed by regulations significantly inhibit the engineer's ability to develop the best practical and economical design and in some cases may re-

Jan 1, 1983

By Robert R. Turner, Arthur R. MacPherson

This chapter reviews the steps which should be taken from the time it is decided to consider autogenous grinding in the development of a new ore deposit or the expansion of an existing plant up until the purchase of the new autogenous mills. In this case the term autogenous includes semi -autogenous, secondary pebble mills, and lump milling as well as fully autogenous grinding systems. Also, both wet and dry grinding alternatives have been included. Before the test program it must be decided how many bulk samples are required to properly assess the autogenous grinding possibilities of the deposit. Also, a decision must be made on where and how the samples are to be ground i.e. pilot mill at site or in established location, wet and or dry grinding, etc. In the test program itself, certain fundamental data must be obtained. The testing should include enough work to determine whether fully autogenous or semi-autogenous grinding should be used and what type produces best power efficiency. Also, all the other pertinent data should be collected such as power; tonnages; feed, charge, and product sizing; circulating loads, etc. If a secondary mill is required to produce a final grind the decision on whether a pebble or ball mill should be used may require additional test work. Finally, the concentration of the mineral may play an important part in selection of the circuit and should become a part of the final testing once the grinding has been established.

Jan 1, 1978

By C. E. Silverblatt, D. A. Dahlstrom

Previous bench-scale studies demonstrated that a substantial moisture reduction can be obtained by the application of steam to coal filter-cakes, particularly to those containing a limited amount of minus 200-mesh material. Consequently, U.S. Steel's Applied Research Laboratory conducted a study to determine the feasibility of steam filtration of 1/4 in. by 0 coal on a continuous pilot-scale installation in which an Eimco extractor is used. The test results showed that the moisture content of this coal could be reduced to 5.5% at a steam loading of about 175 lb of steam per ton of dry cake. In terms of steam consumption, this loading is calculated to be 1-1/2 lb of steam per lb of water removed. In some tests, only 1 lb of steam per lb of water removed was required. These levels of steam consumption are significantly less than the actual heat requirements of conventional thermal dryers. The satisfactory moisture reductions were obtained at filtration rates of 125 to 186 lb of dry solids per sq ft per hour. However, the proper design of commercial filters should improve the potential rates that can be attained. These results indicate that steam filtration has considerable economic potential for drying 1/4 in. by 0 coals and also has additional advantages over the conventional thermal drying of coal. The results of the previous bench-scale studies and those published by Burton' demonstrated that a substantial moisture-content reduction can be effected by the application of slightly superheated steam to coal filter-cakes, particularly to those containing a limited amount of minus 200-mesh material. Consequently, US Steel's Applied Research Laboratory conducted a study to determine the feasibility of steam filtration of 1/4 in. by 0 coal on a continuous basis. In the continuous process, the dewatering operation on the filter is conducted in stages. In the first, the bulk of the water in the feed slurry is removed by conventional mechanical dewatering on a portion of the filter before the steam is applied. In the second stage, steam is applied to the cake. The steam condenses and releases its latent heat, thereby reducing the viscosity of the remaining cake water; this reduced viscosity then facilitates further drainage and produces a cake of lower moisture content. Because of the availability of feed coal on a continuous basis and since steam was readily available from a low-pressure boiler, the Applied Research Laboratory selected for the test site a coal-preparation plant that cleans Pittsburgh Seam coal. A slurry of table and flotation coal in percentages as they occur normally was used as feed stock. Typical analyses of this slurry are shown in Table I. DESCRIPTION OF FILTER AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES An Eimco Extractor was selected for the evaluation of steam filtration in a continuous process. This unit was chosen because of its availability and its design features that permit relatively simple hood construction, instrumentation, and operation. A photograph of the Extractor is shown in Fig. 1. In the filter a cloth medium is used that travels horizontally and continuously with a grooved, rubber drainage belt. The total effective filter area was 12.5 sq ft. As the feed slurry flows by gravity from the feed box onto the medium,

Jan 1, 1964

By D. W. Brunton

Discussion of the paper of D. W. Brunton, presented at the Spokane meeting, September, 1909, and published in Bulletin No. 33, September, 1909, pp. 837 to 855. WILLIAM' KENT, New York, N. Y.:-The Institute may congratulate itself on the opportunity of reading the splendid address of President Brunton. It is au admirable summary of the progress that has been made in the mining and metallurgical arts in recent years. The paper rightly give's the chief credit for this progress to the aid which has been rendered to these arts by the advances in mechanics, chemistry, and electricity. It is notable that most of the headings in Mr. Brunton's address refer to the work of the mechanical engineer, the electrical engineer, and the chemist, rather than to that of the specialist in mining-operations. It seems that. the most successful mining engineer of the present day is the one who makes the most intelligent application of the inventions and designs of engineers and others who are not directly engaged in mining. A tabulation' of the headings of the address, grouped as below, shows this most clearly. Work of the Mechanical Engineer-Rock-drills, hoisting-machinery, tramming, pumping, ventilation, dredging, sampling, concentration, briquetting, fume-recovery. Work of the Electrical Engineer-Electric machinery for hoisting, pumping, tramming, lighting and signaling, electric . transmission, electric smelting. Work of the Chemist and Metallurgist-Explosives, chlorination, cyanidation, roasting, lead-smelting, and copper-smelting. Work of the Geologist-Economic geology. Work of the Mining Engineer-Mine-mapping, surface-mining, timbering, tunneling; and planning and supervision of the work in general. The mining engineer of the present day, who is in responsible charge of a large plant, finds his chief work not in doing

Jan 1, 1910

By J. F. Myers

A bit of old philosophy: The optimist, the pessimist, The difference is droll; The optimist, the doughnut sees, The pessimist, the hole. This is a neat summation of the viewpoint of those engaged in "treating the crude mineral crust of the earth." Many of those in high places have reminded us during the year of the diminishing supply of the resources so essen-

Jan 1, 1948

By A. J. Opinsky

ThE superior performance of nonsag tungsten wire in lamps has been ascribed to the large-grained micro-structure that can be developed in it. The orientations of these large grains have been studied several times; most published data1-' appear to be similar to those plotted in Fig. 1. These new data were obtained by X-ray back-reflection Laue technique from all of the large grains occurring in thirteen different wires that had been heated at the lowest possible temperature for the formation of large grains. Here the wire axis is plotted in terms of the principal directions of the cube. Rosi decided that the preferred orientation of the large crystals could be described by a single ideal orientation, (531), being parallel to the wire axis.' Rieck2,3 and Mannerkoski' have essentially confirmed this finding. Opinsky, Orehotsky, and Seigle argued that the data suggest that (211) is parallel to the wire axis instead of a single ideal orientation.5 This {211} contains the (531) ideal orientation and would appear to be a more general case. Ahlborn and Wassermann report that their orientation data stretch from ( 110) through (531) to (311) 8 This is part of the locus of (211). All these investigators have determined the orientations of the large grains by back-reflection Laue techniques. They have all obtained essentially similar results. On the other hand, Swalin and Geisler, who obtained their data by neutron diffraction, indicated that the preferred orientation of the large grains in doped wire is (110) .7 These findings cannot presently be reconciled with the pole density data described in the previous paragraph. Rosi1 and Rieck2 have advanced arguments about how their orientations could occur. Nevertheless, the crystallographic link between the (110) (cold-worked) fiber texture and the preferred orientation of the large grains has remained missing. This link can be provided through the concept of coincidence-type boundaries. Such boundaries separate two grains that have a certain number of common lattice sites. Coincidence relationships that result from rotations about low index directions are given by Brandon et a1 .' What is desired is a calculation of those orientations that bear a coincidence relationship with the (110) fibers of the cold-worked matrix. This situation arises in the following fashion. Heating the tungsten wire for a combination of time and temperature falling short of the formation of the nonsag structure yields a structure that is still fibrous in nature and the preferred orientation remains (110). During grain growth, the growing grain is in contact with these fibers. It is hence possible that the entire process may begin by the passage of a coincidence boundary into a (110) fiber. The calculations were carried out analytically and checked graphically. Following Brandon et a1.,8 coincidence relationships from 1 in 5 to 1 in 19 have been considered. The results of the calculations are given in Fig. 2. Of the coincidences examined, some of those occurring upon rotation about ( 110) come closest to the experimental points in Fig. 1. Nineteen of the twenty-three data points in Fig. 1 can be attributed to the ideal orientations A, B, C, and D in Fig. 2. As determined analytically, three crystals lie within 4 deg of point A, four lie within 21/2 deg of point B, eleven lie within 5 deg of point C, and one lies within 1 deg of point D-a total of nineteen. The off-lying points are near the |110| point of the triangle.

Jan 1, 1968

By V. J. Sikora, T. S. Hutchinson

This paper presents a method for making a water-rlrive ana1gsis without prior knowledge of aquifer geometry and uniformity using a standard desk calculator. Although it is necessary to know the initial oil in place to use this method, this is a minor limitation to the scope of (he method since in most reservoirs it is possible to obtain reasonably accurate volumetric oil-in-place estimates. An equation is developed which relates pressure at the water-oil contact to the water influx rate as a function of time by a factor called the resistance function. The resistance function introduces the composite effect of the aquifer geometry and flow resistance disrribution. It is pointed out that the characteristic shape of this function makes it possible to start with on approximation of the function and successively improve the approximation until the correct resistance function curve is obtained. In this fashion water-drive estimates can be made without the limitation of assuming simplifed aquifer shapes and flow distributions. This is the novel feature of this development. Methods are given for extrapolating the final curve to calculate future aquifer behavior. Equations are developed for adjusting the pressures and water influx rates where it appears that possible errors in these quantities make it difficult or impossible to obtain a useuble resistance function curve without this adjustment. Application of the pressure build-up analysis techiiique to estimate. some of the aquifer properties is also presented INTRODUCTION A great many oil pools are the result of oil accumulation in some type of trap in an otherwise large and continuous porous stratum. The void space of this stratum outside of the oil pool itself is filled with water or brine. In analyzing performance of the oil pool surrounded by this water aquifer, it is quite necessary. in most cases, to include behavior of the water. When the pressure at any point in a fluid system is lowered, such as by opening a well in an oil sand, fluids in the immediate neighborhood of this point will begin flowing towards this lower pressure sink. As pressure in this area drops due to flow towards the sink, fluids from farther out will start to flow towards the lower pressure. As more and more fluid is removed from the system, the distance from the sink or well within which flow is occurring will continually increase; that is, thc region of disturbance will grow. If some rigid boundary such as a fault is reached by the disturbance, this area will cease to grow; but if some movable boundary is reached, such as a water-oil contact, the area will grow on out into the water, although rate of growth may and almost always does change. The relation between amount of pressure drop and amount of fluid flowing at any point and at any time in an aquifer depends on such factors as compressibility and viscosity of the fluids, the porosity and permeability of the rock, geometry of the whole system and withdrawal rate or pressure drop. With these factors known, it is theoretically possible to calculate the pressure-flow behavior of the system, However, in practice true solutions to the problem are next to impossible due to complexity of reservoir systems. A number of approximate methods of solution have been developed based on various simplifying assumptions. One frequent assumption is that the water-oil contact can be located and equations defining oil reservoir and aquifer solved separately by assigning values to various parameters so as to match past pressure and production history. Usually the properties of the aquifer are not known, since few, if any, wells are drilled through the aquifer; but the water influx and the pressure at the reservoir boundary are known over some time. If it can now be assumed that the aquifer is circular, pie-shaped, or linear, and that it has uniform properties, it is possible to fit a theoretical dimensionless curve to the past aquifer performance history and therefore calculate future water drive. These theoretical curves are available in the literature,1,2,3 Of course, the assumption of uniform aquifer properties is almost always somewhat in error. Fortunately, however, moderate variations from the average have little effect on behavior of the system; and, hence, the best fit of a theoretical curve is frequently satisfactory. In other cases variations in aquifer properties and geometry are large enough that none of the available theoretical curves will give an acceptable fit of the data. In these cases, methods of fitting the data with various electrical analyzers have been developed.1,2' It is the purpose of this paper to present an approach

By R. W. Raymond

ALL history testifies that the mineral resources of a region have furnished both the impulse for its first development by man, and the foundation for its subsequent occupation by civilized and prosperous communities. In the pre-historic ages, the hunters, fishers, shepherds and gardeners of the world may have wandered or tarried without regard to the attractions of the mineral deposits which they could not utilize, and therefore did not value. But with the rise of civilization, as expressed in manufactures and commerce, the national value of such deposits began to be realized. Barbarous and remote tribes, possessing the sources of such supplies, won recognition in trade long before they could attain it through any other means. Thus, the North American Indians of Lake Superior exchanged their native copper for the mica of North Carolina; the ships of Tyre sailed all the way to Spain for lead and to Britain for tin; and the fleets of Solomon brought gold from Tarshish. In more modern times it has been chiefly the precious metals that have stimulated exploration and conquest. The inherent qualities and the traditional value of gold and silver sufficiently explain this historic fact, the continued existence and potency of which is evidenced, even in our own times, by the occasional rush of eager adventurers to new districts where gold and silver have been discovered. The history of North and South America has been peculiarly influenced by this factor. It was the prospect of obtaining gold and silver that led the Spanish adventurers to the shores of America, and the conquests of Mexico by Cortez and of Peru by Pizarro were inspired by the stories of the wealth of the Aztecs and the

Mar 1, 1909

By C. P. Besse, N. F. LeBlanc

Described in this paper are oceanographic data which should be considered by an offshore design engineer and methods for developing a design wave height from the oceanographic data. The selection of a design wave is predicated on contemplated waves which might affect the site throughout the life of the structure. Selection of a design wave height may be based on (1) arbitrarily established recurrence Frequencies of hurricanes affecting the structure (predicted wave heights are associated with the expected variations of forces resulting from these waves) and (2) a risk-type evaluation wherein all possible storms affecting the area are considered (anticipated wave heights are associated with both investment plus risk costs and expected variations of forces). It is shown how the following oceanographic predictions are integrated into design considerations: (1) a classification of storm intensity which considers all recorded storms which affected the design area, (2) the recurrence interval of storms of a given- intensity (this interval is dependent on the extent of the geographical area considered in the design problem) and (3) a forecast of all wave heights which might affect the area (geometry of a structure often necessitates consideration of waves from a multiplicity of directions). The authors believe that the described techniques can result in selecting an adequate and reasonable design wave. INTRODUCTION Since the inception of offshore operations in the Gulf of Mexico, engineers engaged in designing suuctural facilities have been plagued with the problem of selecting an adequate and reasonable design wave. In the development of any offshore structure it is mandatory that the engineer evaluate the ability of the structure to withstand the ocean waves to which it will be subjected. Selecting such design waves quite naturally necessitates a coalition of the oceanographer and the design engineer. The oceanographer must provide a detailed knowledge of scientific principles which govern the behavior of waters in the Gulf of Mexico. He should also have an adequate knowledge of the manner in which design waves are utilized by the engineer. Although the design engineer's primary responsibility is applying the oceanographer's specialized knowledge in the creation of real structures, it is important that he possess some knowledge of related oceanographic principles to reasonably evaluate and apply the recommendations of the oceanographer. In the Gulf of Mexico it is the hurricane wind waves which generally govern the design of an offshore facility. The oceanographer must therefore develop techniques for predicting the heights, periods and frequency of all hurricane waves which might affect a particular structure. From this mass of oceanographic data, the design engineer must select the design waves which will apply to his particular design. PAST STUDIES ON FREQUENCY AND AMPLITUDE OF HURRICANE WIND WAVES Past oceanographic studies on the frequency of hurricane wave heights in the Gulf of Mexico have been devoted largely to predicting the recurrence interval of hurricanes which will generate maximum significant waves of given heights. The maximum significant wave height is the average height of the highest one third of the waves in that portion of the storm producing maximum wave heights. Since these waves occur over a relatively small portion of the storm (Fig. 1) and since the paths of hurricanes vary considerably (Fig. 2), the recurrence frequency of such heights is largely a function of the extent of the geographical area considered. In establishing the frequency of maximum significant waves for the entire American Gulf coast, the major fully developed hurricanes which affected the coastline from BrOwnsville, Tex., to Key West, Fla., were considered (Fig. 2). These Storms were selected and described by C. L-

By C. G. Dunn, E. F. Koch, K. T. Aust

Strain-induced grain boundary migration was studied in a series of silicon-iron (3% pct Si) bicrystals of controlled orientations. Each bicrystal was given a 7 pct cold-rolling strain rind annealed at 1100°C. The direction of boundary migration was found to depend on orientation; results for several orientations related by a common [110] axis are given. Analysis of the micrographic and X-ray data is made in terms of the residual strain-energy densities within the crystals (energy per unit volurne) and a driving force on the boundary due to an energy density difference across the boundary. Relative strain energies were obtained for the various orientations investigated. A CHROME-acetic acid electroetching method for revealing dislocation sites in silicon iron was previously applied to clarify the structural features and the energetics involved in strain-induced grain boundary migration.',' The present paper is a continuation of this study, but is primarily concerned with the influence of crystal orientation. Sperry, as reported by Beck,3 attempted to determine the factors that influence the preferred growth of one grain over another in aluminum due to strain-induced boundary migration. He found that the particular grain of a pair which work hardened more was invaded, although exceptions to this correlation were noted. The index of work hardening was determined from microhardness measurements of each grain before and after cold-rolling. In the present study, orientation itself was taken as a useful variable for studying the behavior of individual grains in a bicrystal and the direction of boundary migration, since the extent of work hardening is orientation dePendent." The effect of strain on boundary migration is evident from a consideration of driving forces. Thus, in the absence of inclusions, the driving force (per unit area of boundary) for growth of grain A into grain B when a bicrystal is strained and annealed may be expressed as follows:2

Jan 1, 1960

By W. G. SWART

THE best estimate on reserves of iron ore in the Lake Superior district is that made, in 1920, by Mr. R. C. Allen, amounting to 2,947,225,000 tons of assured and probable ore. This includes direct- shipping or so-called merchantable ores, and those capable of beneficiation by demonstrated processes. De- ducting from this the 287,000,000 tons shipped since 1920, leaves a present reserve of approximately 2,500,- 000,000 tons, or; about 50 years' supply. The assured ore in this estimate is given as 1,560,500,000 tons, which checks Mr. Lake's estimate of 1,528,948,000 tons, or about 30 years' supply. This is not a long time in the life of the steel industry, and it can be readily appreciated that the matter is important enough to war- rant the attention it is beginning to receive. The first question that engages our attention is, What is merchantable ore? In 1902 the average of all Mesabi shipments was 56.07 per cent iron and 4.35 per cent silica. Twenty-five years later it had dropped to 51.99 per cent iron, with silica up to 7.92 per cent. It has remained around these figures for' ten or twelve years and, except for a probable rise in silica, can stay there for an indefinite period. Most of these figures I am giving cover the Mesabi Range. Including the other ranges does not change the figures greatly, and the Mesabi Range commands the situation, since it produces about 65 per cent of the total annual tonnage and, according to Mr. Allen, contains 81 per cent of the assured reserves, 50 per cent of the probable reserves, and 66 per cent of both the assured and the probable reserves.

Jan 1, 1926

By W. A. Nagel, R. P. Alger, H. Sherman, J. Tittmann

A sidewall epithermal neutron tool has been developed to substantially reduce environmental effects that have previously complicated neutron log interpretation. Designed for operation in uncased wells, the device provides increased accuracy in both liquid-filled and empty holes. A brief discussion of neutron moderation, diffusion and capture shows that logs using epithermal neutron detection depend on a smaller number of formation-characterizing parameters than those using thermal neutron or capture gamma ray detection. Thus, they come closer to providing an unambiguorls determination of hydrogen content. In this new device a directionally sensitive epithertnal neutron detection system has been incorporated in a side-wall source-detector skid to minimize borehole effects. The effects of variations in borehole size and shape, mud type, temperature and salinity are greatly reduced. Small residual borehole effects are then computationally accounted for in the surface control panel to provide a borehole-corrected neutron log. The log presents a direct recording of neutron-derived porosity on a linear scale. With corrections for borehole effects already applied, this direct recording of porosity simplifies log interpretation. Furthermore, comparison with a linear porosity presentation of a formation density log permits sandstones, limestones and dolomites to be readily identified. Thus, in complex or variable lithology, porosity is determined with greater accuracy and reliability than heretofore. Laboratory data and field results demonstrate the improvements in neutron logging afforded by this new side-wall epithermal neutron logging device. INTRODUCTION The new Sidewall Neutron Porosity (SNP) logging system, designed for use in uncased wells, provides reliability and accuracy never before achieved with neutron logs. The effects of variations in borehole diameter and shape, fluid salinity, mud weight and temperature—parameters that have long complicated neutron log interpretation— are suppressed or corrected for by this sidewall epithermal neutron detection system. Furthermore, to simplify interpretation the SNP log presents a direct recording of computed porosity on a linear scale. The performance improvements achieved by this new system arise primarily from the combination of two im- portant design features. First. though not unique to this new tool, an epithermal neutron detection system is used,',' Epithermal neutron detection substantially reduces the perturbing influences of the thermal neutron absorption properties of rock matrices and water salinity. Second, the neutron detection system is mounted in a directionally sensitive sidewall skid to greatly minimize borehole effects. The purpose of this paper is to explain briefy the advantages offered by the detection of epithermal neutrons, to describe the SNP equipment and the log, to present calibration and correction data and to give examples of interpretation methods made especially convenient by this new system. ADVANTAGES OF EPITHERMAL NEUTRON DETECTION Epithermal neutron detection, of all the neutron methods in current commercial use, provides the simplest determination of formation hydrogen content. Advantages of epithermal neutron detectors, as compared with thermal neutron and gamma ray detectors, are probably best explained by a brief review of the life of a source-emitted neutron. A fast neutron from the source will eventually be cap-tured by the nucleus of an atom. However. before capture is likely to occur, the fast neutron (energy of 100,000 electron volts (ev) or more) will be slowed down until it is in thermal equilibrium with its surroundings. The neutron is then considered to be a "thermal" neutron (average energy of 0.025 ev at 25C). The overwhelming majority of the slowing down thus occurs in reaching epithermal energies (energies just above thermal—0.5 to several ev). After reaching thermal energy. the neutron will "diffuse" through the formation with, on the average, no further energy change until capture. Upon the capture of the thermal neutron, relatively high energy gamma rays arc usually emitted. Hydrogen plays a very important role in the process of slowing down fast neutrons. On the other hand, the absorption effects of water salinity and low concentrations of other strong thermal neutron absorbers—relatively unimportant in the moderation process-—are very important in thermal diffusion, capture and the production of gamma rays. Thus, by detecting only epithermal neutrons with the SNP, spurious effects due to these thermal neutron absorbers are greatly minimized as compared to the effects on tools using thermal neutron or gamma ray detectors. The epithermal neutron detection system affords another important advantage. Log response in various litho-

Jan 1, 1967

By Elliot P. Rexford

IN the early days of concrete construction, the question of quality of sand or gravel to be used as aggregate in concrete was given little or no consideration. If the construction engineer had sufficient quantity for his structure within a reasonable distance, he was contented and gave no thought to the possibility that the material might have adverse physical, chemical, or thermal properties which could cause future deterioration of his concrete and possible failure of his structure. Today a very different situation exists. With the building of larger and larger concrete structures, with a longer and longer life expectancy, the quality of the aggregate material has become of major importance. Even in small concrete structures aggregate quality cannot be passed off lightly and the quality of the aggregate must be such as to give the anticipated life without costly maintenance. The first question to arise in the selection of an aggregate is what makes a sand or gravel suitable or unsuitable for use in concrete, and how can its quality be judged. No one rock type can be depended upon to furnish sound durable material in all instances. Granitic rocks, for example, make very satisfactory aggregates in some cases, but they are among the most unsuitable of materials when they are fractured, weathered, or highly micaceous. Limestones make excellent concrete aggregates on the one hand, and on the other they may be unsound and lack durability if they contain appreciable clay, they may have a harmful chemical reaction with the cement if they contain amorphous silica, or they may have thermal characteristics which make them highly unsuitable for use in concrete. Each rock, gravel, or sand must be proved on its own merits for the particular job under consideration. The selection of suitable aggregate materials may be divided into two major phases, the geological phase which is carried on largely in the field, and the testing phase which of course is a laboratory problem; both are important. Very often the geological phase alone is sufficient for the selection of satisfactory aggregates for minor structures but for major structures both phases must be thoroughly investigated. Geological Phase In the southwest part of the country nearly every major rock type, igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary, may be found with all imaginable intermediate phases and in all imaginable stages of alteration. Frequently very different rock types, different as to geological age, composition, and condition occur very close together. Alluvium and stream-bed sands and gravels will consist of many different rock types and even ledge rocks may vary radically as to texture and composition within the area of a quarry site. Some of the rocks make suitable aggregate materials whereas others are highly deleterious in concrete. Too often the good and the bad occur together and more than ordinary caution is required in aggregate selection. Aggregate Sources: Concrete aggregates are usually obtained from stream-bed sands and gravels or from ledge rocks. Each has certain favorable and unfavorable characteristics and it is sometimes necessary to investigate both types to determine the most suitable source for a specific structure. Stream Beds: The predominant sources of aggregate materials in southern California and Arizona are stream beds. Vast quantities of sands and gravels are brought from the mountain ranges by the rivers during times of flood but most of these streams are dry a large part of the time and hence these deposits make easily accessible sources of aggregate materials. From many standpoints stream-bed materials make very acceptable aggregates. The gravel pebbles and the sand grains are

Jan 1, 1951