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By S. C. Jones, J. A. Davis

This paper describes displacement mechanisms of micel-lur solution slugs, displuced by a thickened water "mobility buffer", in a glass micromodel and in consolidated Berea sandstone cores. Colored motion pictures, taken through a microscope, recorded interactions on a pore-to-pore bash in the micromodel. Production and differential pressure data from consolidated cores previously waterflooded to residua1 oil saturation revealed displacement mechani.sm.s macroscopically. Oil is displaced miscibly, while interstitia1 water is displaced immiscibly by the injected micellar. solution slug. Part of this water is dispersed and carried near the lead ing edge of the .slug, and some may remain as a residual saturation. Thickened water displaces any residual water. It also emulsifies with the. slug material, thereby displacing it. The displacement sequence forms banks of oil and water with relatively constant fractional flows, saturations, and mobilities. The mobility of oil and water flowing ahead of the .slug defines .slug viscosity required for stable displacement. Equations are presented that describe. several aspecis of the displacement flow behavior: oil breakthrough, oil cut during production of the stabilized bank, breakthrough of banked water and the resulting decreased fractional flow of oil, fluid mobilities, etc. Breakthroughs, calculated from the equations, are compared with experimental data. Slugs of micellar sollution, ranging from 1 to 5 percent PV, produced unusually high oil recoveries (up to 100 percent) in previously waterflooded consolidated cores. Investigation of the effect of mobility buffer size on oil recovery indicated that recovery is reduced in 3-in. X 4-ft cores for mobility buffer sizes .smaller than 50 percent of the pore volume. Introduction A new oil recovery process,* conceived in 1962, utilizes a slug of micellar solution' that has sufficient viscosity to avoid an unfavorable mobility ratio with respect to the oil and water it displaces. These micellar solutions are composed of hydrocarbons, water, and surfactants, and may contain electrolytes and co-surfactants. The micellar solution is displaced by a "mobility buffer". The mobility buffer is a bank of reduced-mobility fluid, preferably an aqueous polymer solution. The entire system is displaced by unthickened water. This paper describes some of the microscopic and macroscopic displacement mechanisms observed during laboratory development of the fluids for a potential field test. Microscopic phenomena were observed photographically in a specially constructed glass flow model and macroscopic data were taken from constant rate, tertiary displacements conducted in Berea sandstone cores. Qualitative Description of Micellar Solution Flooding This section qualitatively describes displacement mechanisms that occur when a slug of micellar solution is injected into a previously waterflooded core. The slug completely removes oil from the portion of core it contacts, and banks oil in the process. The oil saturation in this bank and the flowing WOR reach definite, fixed values that are determined by water and oil mobilities and slug characteristics. This zone of constant WOR and oil saturation will be called "stabilized oil bank" in the following discussion. When this stabilized bank reaches the outlet end of the core, the oil cut jumps from zero to a constant value equal to the fractional flow of oil. Saline water has little or no solubility in the slug. Because of this. the slug displaces in-place brine immiscibly. During slug injection, most of the brine is displaced ahead of the slug, some is carried along in the leading portion of the slug, and part of the brine may become immobile. The immobile, residual brine is later miscibly displaced by thickened water. Displacement of all the oil and only part of the water during slug injection results in a higher fractional flow of oil ahead of the slug than occurs when all the water is displaced after injection of thickened water is begun. The slug spontaneously emulsifies fresh (low-salt content) water. By emulsification, the slug can become infinitely diluted, and hence totally displaced, by thickened water. Fluid saturations in the core are shown schematically in Fig. 1. Parts A and B show conditions before and after the start of the thickened-water injection, respectively. Since thickened water displaces any residual brine by-

Jan 1, 1969

By J. W. Spretnak, R. Speiser

IT has been suggested that boron in steel may form a film entirely around the austenite grain and that this film is responsible for the boron hardenability effect. In this connection, it is of interest to examine some of the ramifications of the concentration range of boron usually employed in hardenable steels, namely 0.0005 to 0.003 pct in a grain size range of ASTM grain size No. 1 through No. 10. The ratio of the iron to boron atoms and the number of unit cells of y iron per boron atom are listed in Table I. Even at the highest concentration considered, there are 1600 unit cells of y iron per boron atom, assuming a uniform distribution of boron. To investigate the possibility of the boron film formation, the number of boron atoms required to cover the grain surface completely must be calculated. With some transition elements, boron crystallizes in sheets composed of equilateral hexagons very much like graphite.' The selected value for the length of a side is 1.80Å. A simple calculation shows that two boron atoms cover an area of 8.4x l0 -16 sq cm. Table II lists the number of atoms of boron required for the formation of the monatomic film and Table III lists the number of boron atoms per grain. The hypothetical cases of 100 pct and 10 pct adsorption are calculated (all boron atoms in a grain and 10 pct of all boron atoms in a grain are located at the grain surface respectively). In Table 111, all combinations of grain size and composition below and to the left of the solid line (100 pct adsorption) and the dashed line (10 pct adsorption) are excluded as to the possibility of covering the grain surface with a continuous boron film. Thus, even for 100 pct adsorption, the smaller grains can form the film only at the higher concentrations. For the best case, grain size No. 1 and 0.0030 pct B, the required degree of adsorption is 3.9 pct. The above calculations deal only with the number of boron atoms required to form a monatomic film and do not take into account the mechanism of concentration of boron at the grain surface and the possible limitations to the extent of this concentration at a constant temperature, as for example in the austenitizing process. The question next arises as to how this surface concentration can occur during an isothermal treatment. Such surface enrichment of boron must occur through the phenomenon of surface adsorption, i.e., the concentration of solute atoms in solid solution in the vicinity of the surface without precipitation. A solute atom will tend to concentrate at the grain boundary if it reduces the interfacial tension. The possibility of adsorption effects involving both boron and carbon in iron has been discussed.' In general, the tendency for a sol-

Jan 1, 1954

By Alan K. Burton

Along with tires and transmission systems, engines have been a limiting factor in the growth of large off- highway trucks. The problem, primarily, has been the development of reliable, high-performance engines that are not prohibitively heavy or expensive. For many years, horsepower to overall truck weight ratios have been in the vicinity of 300 lb per hp for rear dump units up to 50 tons capacity. This ratio is obviously very poor when compared to the much lighter and smaller highway trucks, which frequently have a performance ratio of 100 lb per hp. Unfortunately, the larger mining trucks have not been able to match even the 50-ton trucks, and in some cases, ratios have dropped as low as 450 lb per hp. This results in a performance of only 67% of that achieved by the older smaller trucks. Thus, the message is clear: what is needed is more horsepower and less weight.

Jan 10, 1975

By Theodore H. Eyde

In the southwest porphyry copper province, the virgin prospect with good copper mineralization cropping out has disappeared. Future discoveries will require an increasingly sophisticated arsenal of exploration techniques and concepts. One of the latter, stratigraphic analysis, is a technique which is often overlooked. A surprising number of exploration geologists still think of porphyry copper deposits as occurring wholly within intrusive bodies such as quartz monzonite or granodiorite. Disseminated copper mineralization, though genetically related to intrusive rocks, can occur within both the intrusive and the intruded rocks. At present, as much as 30% of the total copper produced from disseminated copper deposits in the Southwest originate from the intruded rocks rather than the intrusive.

Jan 4, 1972

By N. I. Fisher, J. Shepherd

A rapid method of determining natural fracture trends in collieries has been developed. The method will yield information that is precise enough to permit fracture domain boundaries to be delineated in a coal seam. Instead of a survey of cleat trends in a colliery taking several man-weeks or even man-months, a reconnaissance survey can be carried out in only a few man-days. At each of a sequence of sampling sites along a traverse, five measurements of trend are recorded for each set of fracture directions. A sequential plot of the medians of each fracture set is then made manually underground or by a computer in the mine office. Changes in fracture pattern can be detected easily in colliery development work if a geologist visits advancing faces regularly, and forecasts can be made about the likelihood of forthcoming faults and dykes. A full description of this method is given in Shepherd and Fisher (1981). The concept of mapping fractures rapidly in a colliery is based on using a geological traverse (Compton, 1962), along which observations can be made at chosen, regular intervals. The technique has been widely used for surface mapping across outcrops and in follow-up work in photogeological studies (Hepworth and Kennerley, 1970). In these cases, the geologist surveys the traverse line as mapping proceeds. In a colliery, however, ready-made traverse lines already exist in panels and along main roadways, often in several directions. It is thus possible to traverse a colliery in different directions and record the fracture trends at intervals, generating a reconnaissance fracture map. This can also be done on a continuing basis as mine development takes place. Generally, a sampling traverse should be longer than 0.5 km with sampling sites at relatively close-spaced intervals along the traverse. For example, in room-and-pillar mines pillars are commonly formed on 40-m centers and the sampling sites can then be arranged at 20-m intervals [(Fig. 1)]. The sites might have to be closer together for mines known to have bad mining conditions. The predominant fracture trend is normally the face cleat and the subordinate trend is the butt cleat (McCulloch et al.. 1974). Various changes can occur in the cleat or joint pattern: the face and butt sets may disappear or an entirely new set or sets may appear. Therefore, it is best to record all prominent fracture sets. Sometimes there is only one; in other cases there may be as many as three or more. An odd number of measurements of each fracture set are made (generally five or more) to enable the median value to be determined easily. The median value can be plotted underground using graph paper or a computer plot can be made in the laboratory or mine office [(Fig. 2)]. The sequential linked median (SLIME) plot draws the median trend for each sampling site as a unit line segment. The segments from successive sampling sites can be connected together to form a long chain [(Fig. 2A)]. The needle plot, on the other hand, draws a straight line to represent the traverse and then plots out the median trend for each sampling site [(Fig. 2B)]. The SLIME plot is better for visual display, as it highlights small irregularities and gross changes in trend. However, some work is required to relate the individual segments to their site location along a traverse. In this respect, the needle plot is more convenient because each segment -can be plotted-at a point corresponding to its location. Also, there is precise match-up if needle plots of face and butt cleat are compared. A description and listing of the SLIME program is given by White et al. (1981). An example of the use of this method is given for Wallsend Borehole colliery in New South Wales (Australia) [(Fig. 2)], where domains II and IV are associated with mining hazards. Domain II is coincident with a normal fault of 2.6-m throw, and domain IV with a basic dyke 12 m thick. These hazards were approached driving in a southwesterly direction, and a pronounced change in trend of the cleat to a northwesterly direction occurred at a distance of approximately 45 m from each one. The northwestern joint trend is parallel to that of the dyke and fault, and it occurs at a higher frequency close to these structures. The association of a particular joint set with faults has been found elsewhere (Shepherd and Creasey, 1979). The two minor cleat direction changes within domain V are narrow joint zones that are less than 5 m wide. The fracture trends derived from a SLIME traverse can be verified by collecting larger quantities of data at selected sites, as shown in the balloon density (rose) plots depicted in [Fig. 2C]. We are grateful for the financial support provided by Thiess Bros. Pty. Ltd. and the National Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Program administered by the Commonwealth Department of National Development and Energy. R.W. Miller Holdings Ltd. and Thiess Bros. Pty. Ltd. are thanked for their permission to publish data from their collieries.

Jan 1, 1982

By L. Messulam, A. S. Appleton

Iwo major studies of the Fe-Cr-C system are available in the literature. The earlier one of Kinzel and crafts' forms the basis for the data most commonly quoted in works of reference (e.g., Metnls HandDook) though the later work of Bungardt el a1.' is more extensive and amenable to analysis in terms of isothermal sections and so forth. However it is evident from examination of either of these studies that the delination of phase boundaries on the basis of the data obtained can only be very approximate. Indeed in several instances the data are so inconclusive that this delineation is a matter of opinion. This note is to report an analysis of experimentally determined carbon activity data in this system, which, originally intended as a means of checking the self-consistency of the data for a number of alloys, enables some conclusions to be drawn concerning the 10503C isothermal section of the iron-rich corner of the system as deducible from the data of Bungardt

Jan 1, 1967

By L. W. Legerwood

During the past three decades, the oil industry has expended increasing eflorts seeking improved drilling tools or systems to reduce drilling costs. The total cost of these efforts is unknown, but it certainly amounts 10 tens of millions of dollars. Most of the "new" system that past and present investigators have sought to develop actually are old public information. In seeking to implement new-systern concepts, investigators have tested the following: impact at frequencies ranging from 6 to 300 cycles per second; electrical, mechanical and hydraulic meam of actuating percussors; bit rotary speeds up to 2,000 rpm; electric and hydraulic bottom-hole means of rotating bits; bottom-hole machines with power outputs up to 400 hp; shock waves; explosives; high-velocity pellets; flame; arc; grinding wheels; abrasive jets; erosion by high-velocity gases; chemical attack; electric current; magnetic waves; retractable rock bits; reelable drill pipe; continuous coring with reverse circulation; and automation of drilling rigs. Table I shows how these investigations are grouped for discussion purposes in this paper. In spite of these efforts to discover new and improved systems, rotary drilling main;aim its economic leadership. Undoubtedly, rotary drilling costs will continue to be reduced by rigid application of the best available technology and by development of new rotary technology. In view of the extensive past development programs, however, significant long-range improvement appears to be a research, not a development problem. Research must postulate and prove theories and principles governing variour subsurface rock-failure processes pertinent to both rotary and new systems. Ah, research must produce physical and engineering data relative to these processes. When such information is available, earth boring will graduate from an art to a science. Major improvements in rotary drilling can then be expected, and the systematic evolution of an improved drilling method can be initiated—with a strong probability for success. Development of drilling methods other than rotary drilling has been one approach investigated by the industry as a means for reducing drilling costs. Major cost-reduction efforts, however, have been centered on engineering development work aimed at incremental improvements in rotary drilling. A relatively minor effort has been expended to establish basic physical principles and engineering data pertaining to the earth-boring process which can serve as a foundation for the development of cost-cutting drilling hardware. Current oil-industry economic trends have added impetus to the need for effective programs to reduce drilling costs. However, areas for expanded future efforts should be selected only after careful study of past investigations. It is the purpose of this paper to review past and Dresent industry efforts to develop new drilling tools or systems and to suggest areas where additional science is needed. Past reviews of drilling methods have been limited to a few processes prominent at the time the reviews were made. This paper seeks to present a concise, well organized review of all methods that have received actual development or test work. The preparation of a paper seeking to review all past developments is fraught with many difficulties, not the least of which are errors in or obsolesence of printed matter used as source material and the lack of data on industry developments which have not been published. Since de-

By W. S. Potter

THE proportions of manganese and carbon in manganese steel are familiar to all, because manganese-steel castings have been well known for a decade or more in this country. The same alloy has now become a commercial product in the wrought state, and, as not only rails and bars are rolled daily but a great variety of forged and otherwise fabricated shapes are appearing, it may be interesting to mark the progress and, perhaps, to look a little closely into the nature of this important material of engineering.

Jan 4, 1914

By S. S. Clarke

The sheet-ground deposits of the Tri-State district, because they are fairly uniform in thickness (7 to II ft.)—rather flat, with an easy dip to the west—and cover a large acreage, offered a problem of improved transportation. Heading advance in this kind of mine is very rapid and track haulage requires a larger crew of trackmen than do other mines, and a heavy investment in track. The use of some type of rubber-tired truck equipment for underground haulage was under consideration for some time by the Eagle-Picher Mining and Smelting Co. The nature of some ore bodies made them not adaptable to truck haulage and some mines that did offer possibilities were equipped with other types of haulage, and the expected savings by the use of trucks did not offset the loss of investment that would be incurred in discarding other equipment. The decision was made to sink a new shaft, designed for skip hoisting, on the Blue Goose ore body, and then develop truck equipment. Developing Tractors and Trailers A study was made of internal-combustion engines for power units in the tractors, but the extreme difficulty of controlling air circulation, and the heavy cost of drilling large churn drill holes for blower installations, led to the adoption of a tractor with a storage battery. The storage-battery tractor that was on the market for mine haulage was impossible to obtain because all were needed for defense work. Several standard electric-truck chassis were purchased and rebuilt in the Eagle-Picher shops. The steering wheel was shortened and set vertical, permitting the driver's seat to be moved forward, and the frame was shortened enough to take the battery box and the fifth wheel support that carried the gooseneck of the dump trailer. The fifth wheel, or turntable, is of the ball and socket type. Tig. I shows the ball fastened to the gooseneck. The socket is split to permit introduction of the ball and is held by through-bolts, and the socket is welded to a ½-in. plate, which in turn is attached to the tractor frame. Smaller wheels and tires were put on to reduce over-all height. If it had been necessary, the spring: could have been reversed, or taken off entirely, to gain additional clearance. The tractors are equipped with 48-cell, 23-plate, 400-A.H. batteries. With the initial tonnage and mileage, the batteries were about 50 per cent down at the end of a shift. Tractors have truck tires 7.50 by 20, 8-ply, front and rear, the rear being dud. After four months of use, the .tires are beginning to show signs of failure.* In

Jan 1, 1943

By R. H. Sweetser

There are so many conditions affecting blast-furnace results that it is hard to get satisfactory comparative data on the working of two furnaces, and much more difficult to get comparable results from the use of two entirely different fuels. The several advantages of charcoal over coke as a blast-furnace fuel have doubtless been apparent to many managers; but probably the conditions for comparative tests of the two were never so favorable as during the year 1905, at the works of the Algoma Steel Co., Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, which comprise two modern blast-furnaces, well equipped, though of comparat.ively small capacity. For four consecutive months one of these furnaces was run with charcoal and the other with coke. Then the charcoal-furnace ran for a while with part charcoal and part coke; and, still later, with coke only. The ore-mixtures were

Jan 1, 1909

As already announced in the notice of the 114th (New York) Meeting of the Institute, the ladies present met and organized the Women's Auxiliary of the Institute. All ladies of the families of members of the Institute-are eligible to this Auxiliary. The purpose and objects of the Auxiliary are well stated in the address of the President, Mrs. S. J. Jennings, in opening the organization meeting on the morning of Feb. 20, 1917. The address follows: "Ladies: Friends from far and near, on behalf of the Women's Entertainment Committee of the A. I. M. E., I extend to you a hearty welcome. "Most especially are we glad to see our friends from the Pacific Coast and the middle West, .whose royal hospitality to the members of the A. I. M. E. and their wives and daughters on their trips to California and to the Copper Country of the Southwest can never be forgotten. We are glad to be able in some small measure to return it.

Jan 4, 1917

By Dale E. Walker

The Captain mine came into being under the following circumstances: 1) Commonwealth Edison had need for fuel for the generation of electricity in their Chicago service area. 2) Southwestern Illinois Coal Corp. had an ample supply of coal in the Illinois No. 6 and No. 5 seams. 3) The Gulf, Mobile & Ohio R.R. had a one-line transportation system with the capability of transporting coal from the Captain mine to Commonwealth Edison. These fortuitous conditions permitted an effective three-way partner- ship to develop. Commonwealth Edison had built a new generating station at Joliet, Ill., across the Illinois River from the existing station, to supplement their power-generating capacity for the Chicago area (Fig. 1). The annual requirement of the Joliet station is approximately 4.5 million tons of coal. From large reserves of coal in the No. 6 and No. 5 seams, Southwestern Illinois Coal Corp. contracted to supply Commonwealth Edison with approximately 6 million tons annually from its Captain mine. The logical carrier was Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, whose mainline travels through this coal field and also passes by the Joliet station on its way to Chicago. This railroad has been moving Southwestern's coal from the Streamline mine for more than 30 years. The basic ingredients of timing, scheduling, moving, and handling were adopted by the three parties, the precise details being worked out jointly. To do this, each group had to know its requirements exactly. The initial schedule was drawn up and tentatively approved, with each party taking a hard look at its own requirements and commitments to make certain that the schedule could be met on a normal daily basis. With only minor changes, the final schedule was adopted, each participant feeling that it had a sufficient factor of safety to maintain steady operation. Each party agreed to help the other in time of emergency. When a delay occurs in any part of the operation, the other

Jan 1, 1969

By Finney, W. R.

MUCH has been said and written of the "Big Inch," of the terrific obstacles encountered in its construction, of the colorful and tough men engaged in its building, but little has been publicized of the engineering and economic problems behind the scenes. Long before Pearl Harbor it was apparent to the petroleum industry that a critical oil shortage could be expected along the Atlantic seaboard, owing to delay in tanker deliveries as a result of convoy movements, and to allocation of vessels for foreign shipments. This area, with a normal consumption of approximately 1,800,000 barrels per day of oil and products, was almost entirely supplied by tanker. Pipe lines supplied an average of only 20,000 barrels per day in 1939, 40,300 barrels per day in 1940, and 55,000 barrels per day in 1941. A small amount of oil and products was also delivered via barge.

Jan 1, 1943

The U. S. Navy Department has perfected plans for the enrollment and training of considerable numbers of engineering officers. A school for this purpose, the U. S. Navy Steam Engineering School, has been established by the Department at Hoboken, N. J. The school is open to men between the ages of 21 and 40 who meet the physical requirements of the Navy, who are of thorough ability and officer-like character and who have completed the mechanical or electrical engineering course at certain recognized technical schools, or who possess an education and experience adjudged to be an equivalent thereof. Enrollment in the U. Naval Reserve Force of men properly qualified may be made at any Naval enrolling office, notation being made of the applicant's qualifications and desire to be detailed to this school. Applicants will be enrolled as Chief Machinist Mates, and during the course of instruction will draw the pay of this rating, $83 per month, plus $60 per month paid as subsistence. Upon graduation, men will be commissioned as Ensigns in the U. S. Naval Reserve, with a salary of $1700 per year. The duty to which a graduate of this school will be assigned will be that of an engineer officer in the auxiliary service of the Navy. Special provision has been made for the continuance of the school with proper material by a Navy regulation which permits undergraduates of the Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Classes in recognized engineering schools to enroll in the Naval Reserve Force with the rating of Seaman 2d Class, and continue their courses at the institutions where they have matriculated. Such men will be called into active service after their graduation, and can at that time, if they are qualified to pass an officers' physical examination, apply for admission to the U. S. Navy Steam Engineering School. Men who are registered in the draft, either graduates or undergraduates, may enroll with the proper enrolling officer by securing from their draft board a letter of release, which in all probability can be obtained for this purpose. The aim of this school is not simply to produce engineers, but to produce naval engineering officers in the true sense of the word. The course of instruction covers a period of five months, arranged in four periods.

Jan 10, 1918

By Alistair Frame

INTRODUCTION In April 1988 discussions were about to start with BP on the possibility of buying their- mineral interests, and it took a long time to arrange a deal. I will talk about RTZ without BP Minerals, look at the new RTZ with BP Minerals, discuss the outlook for metal prices, and review the problems in South Africa and develop the case against sanctions on that country. RTZAT THE END OF 1988 Late in 1987, after completing a worldwide review of our strategic thrust, we decided: 1. That the business focus would be to remain a major diversified natural resource group with interests in related industries. 2. To divest non-core and low growth businesses. 3. To develop a logical acquisition plan. 4. To emphasise organic growth and, most importantly, to enhance shareholders' wealth by capital increase and a progressive dividend policy. Subsequently, we concluded that we should sell our oil and gas business and dispose of several assets for which we saw little growth potential. The disposal programme raised some U.S.$ 1,600 million, representing a significant capital gain on our various investments. All transactions were carried out by our small Head Office staff in London, without the help of merchant banks and lawyers, and we were able to safeguard the employment of our staff in all these operations. The most interesting disposal was of our oil and gas interests. Before the 1987 strategic review, we had ambitions to develop our oil and gas interests and to become the leader in the second division of European oil companies. Our interests, which were purely in exploration and production of oil and gas, consisted of the 100% owned RTZ Oil and Gas company, and 29% of LASMO, a publicly quoted U.K. oil and gas company with extensive worldwide interests. LASMO, in turn, owned 25% of Enterprise Oil, one of the more successful of the North Sea oil exploration and production companies. Prior to the end of 1987, our intention was to acquire control of both LASMO and Enterprise. However, when we evaluated the net asset value of these two companies based on our oil price assumptions, which were pessimistic for the next five years or so, we concluded that they were both trading in the market at significant premiums. This, taken with the additional premium required for acquisition and the high cost of exploration, led us to conclude that, since funds could undoubtedly be used to better effect, we should sell our interests. Turning to the other major achievements in 1988, we commissioned, and built up to design levels in a very short period of time, the Morro do Ouro gold mine in Brazil. This mine reached its design output of 100,000 ounces of gold per year within three months of start-up, which was on time and under budget. We are now considering a possible expansion of this property. In South America, Utah International, Mitsubishi and RTZ arranged non-recourse finance, with post completion guarantees, for the giant Escondida Project in Northern Chile. Financing came from a group of banks in Japan, Germany and Finland -- the countries to which most of the concentrates will be sold -- and from the LEC. The average output of the mine for the

Jan 1, 1990

By Joseph R. Crump, Francois Ville, Frank M. Tiller

Several simplifications have been accepted in filtration theory during the past fifty years in an effort to avoid apparently intractable mathematical problems. In effect, these simplifications ignored the variation in average cake porosity and average filtration resistance with variation in pressure drop or with time. This study examines the traditional approach and shows that, in many cases, it cannot give correct design guidance. Using a set of dimensionless parameters because of the large number of significant variables, a revised theory is developed which does not require that porosity and resistance values be set constant. Graphs developed in the traditional approach (e.g., dt/dv versus v or t/v versus V) have substantial curvature near the ordinate; but this curvature is frequently ignored in theory and is easily missed in experiments. The revised theory allows more accurate design calculations, especially for compressible cakes.

Jan 1, 1980

By T. S. Spicer

The relationship of coal characteristics to the principal types of firing equipment has been known to the coal combustion engineer, but is not as familiar a subject for purchasing agents, salesmen, consumers, and executives of coal-producing and consuming companies. This general survey of characteristics determined by standard laboratory tests, of major types of combustion techniques, and of the relationships between the two is directed toward the latter audience. It will also serve as a review for those actively engaged in the combustion of coal. Although the relationship of coal characteristics to the principal types of firing equipment is well known to the experienced coal combustion engineer, apparently there is need for a summary article on this subject. The author has received numerous requests for such a paper from purchasing agents, coal salesmen, coal customers and executives of coal-producing and consuming companies. Consequently, the scope of this paper will be directed to this audience, with the hope that it may serve also as a review to others actively engaged in the combustion of coal. The magnitude of this subject is so great that only a brief general treatise is possible. The author realizes that because there are so many special cases and exceptions to the generalities which follow, he is in jeopardy of contradicting himself. It is the hope, however, that the many references cited will prove valuable to those who wish to study the details excluded by necessity, due to space and time limitations. Hence, the characteristics of coals as determined by standard laboratory tests will be discussed; the major types of combustion techniques reviewed; and then the characteristics and firing will be related. CHARACTERISTICS OF UNITED STATES COALS The coals of the United States range from lignite to anthracite and each has its own general characteristics. The extensive coal fields of the U. S. are shown in Fig. 1 and the estimated reserve according to rank for each state is illustrated in Fig. 2. Coals may be classified according to rank as shown by Table I from the ASTM Standards on Coal and Coke, D-338-38.1 The basis of this classification is ac- cording to fixed carbon and heating value (Btu per pound) calculated to a mineral-matter-free basis. The high-rank coals are classified according to fixed carbon on the dry basis; and the low-rank coals according to Btu on the moist basis. Agglomerating and slacking (weathering) indices are used to differentiate between certain adjacent groups. While rank is not itself a characteristic it does signify certain characteristics that accompany a class of fuel. Anthracite, for example, immediately implies a hard, free-burning, smokeless coal of low volatile matter, usually having an ash of high fusibility. Coals may also be classified according to grade as described by ASTM Designation D-398-37.1 This quality classification is determined by size, calorific value, ash, ash-softening temperature, and sulfur. This type of classification is not used as extensively by the industry as the rank classification. Fig. 3 shows the heat value of different ranks compared to proximate analyses. Coals may also be classified by sizes, as shown in Tables IIA and IIB, and sizes can be on both top and bottom limits. If this is done, then the coal is called double screened; otherwise, either top or bottom sizes can be specified as a limit. Bituminous coal sizing varies from field to field and depends upon the market demand. The common sizes and their main uses are outlined in Table IIA. Anthracite is usually available in many sizes at the colliery, and Table IIB summarizes standard sizes and names. Although rank, grade, and size designations help identify and describe a coal in question, there still remain other characteristics such as indicated by moisture, free swelling index, grindability tests, etc. A bituminous coal information chart Table III) suggested for use in studying the available coals in a region, lists origin and chemical and physical characteristics. Even this more comprehensive list does not completely spell out all the characteristics of a heterogenous material like coal. For example,

Jan 1, 1961

By R. G. Charles, E. A. Gulbransen, S. Barnartt

KINETICS of the reaction of zirconium with pure oxygen at elevated temperatures have been studied by several workers for periods of time up to 6 hr.1-1 In two cases,3-4 . the experimental values of oxygen uptake, w, as a function of time, t, were best fitted to the parabolic rate law w2 = kPt + constant. In others,3,4 the cubic rate law w3 = kot + constant, showed better agreement. The most recent data of Gulbransen and Andrew4 indicate that the choice between the parabolic and cubic laws for empirical representation of the data will often be arbitrary. This is particularly true if the first few minutes of the reaction with a clean zirconium surface is attributed to a different oxidation mechanism, for deviations from either rate law were found primarily during the initial period. Thus, the kinetics of this reaction have been too uncertain to permit safe extrapolation to oxidation periods of practical interest (many hundreds of hours). The data to be described are of interest, for they indicate that the cubic rate law applies over long oxidation times. The reaction of zirconium with oxygen at 1 atm pressure was followed at 350" and 450°C for 500 and 200 hr, respectively. Abraded test specimens of pure zirconium sheet' 3.0 X 2.0 X 0.012 cm in size were oxidized by the procedure previously described,3 which included periodic cooling to room temperature for weighing. The surfaces were polished to a 4/0 finish using polishing paper wet with kerosene, then wiped with petroleum ether and washed in redistilled acetone. Fig. 1 shows plots of log ? vs log t. Each curve represents the average of duplicate measurements, and deviations from the average were generally less than 3 pet. The cubic rate law (slope = 1/3) is closely followed. The rate constants, 5.2, x 10 -6 and 2.4, X 10- (mg cm-2)3 per hr at 350" and 450 oC, respectively, are plotted as log k, vs 1/T in Fig. 2, together with cubic constants calculated from the data of Gulbransen and Andrew4 for abraded specimens from the same lot of zirconium. Their data refer to runs of 6-hr duration at a pressure of 0.1 atm 0 and under conditions of uninterrupted heating. In spite of these differences, the latter data yield a straight line which appears to apply equally well to the new extended time data. The energy of activation for the oxidation process, calculated from the slope of this line, i.s 38 keal per mole. This may be compared with the value of 47 keal per mole found by Belle and Mallett3 at higher temperatures. It may be concluded tentatively that extrapolation of short-term oxidation data for zirconium to obtain the long-term behavior is best done through the cubic equation ?3 = kpt + constant. References ' E. A. Gulbransen and K. F. Andrew: AIME Trans., 1949, vol. 185, p. A.515; JouRNal OF Metals, August 1949. 'D.p. Cubicciotti Journal Amer Chemical August1949.Soc., 1950, Vol. 72, P. 3 V. Belle and M. W. Mallett: Joulnal Electro chemical Soc., 1954, ' E. A. Gulbransen 339.and K. F. Andrew: Oxidation of Zirconium Between 400" Gulbransenand 800'C.and AIME Trarzs.. 1957, vol. 209, p. 394; JOUR-Nal of Metals, April 1957. IS Barnartt, B G. Charles, and E. A. Gulbransen: Oxidation of 50 weight pet uranium-zirconium alloy, Journul Electrochemical SOC., 1957, vol. 104, p. 218.

Jan 1, 1959

By Homer F. Staley, C. P. Karr

The casting alloy 88 copper, 10 tin, 2 zinc, commonly known in England as Admiralty metal and in this country as Government bronze, gun metal, or Naval Department composition G, has, at its best, many valuable properties. However, its physical properties are known to vary widely with slight changes in method of manufacture of the castings, such as slight variations in composition, variation in pouring temperature, kind of mold used, method of pouring and gating of molds, size and shape of castings, amount and kind of heat treatment, and so forth.' The microstructure of castings made from this alloy is influenced by slight variations of composition, rate of cooling, and kind and length of heat treatment. This is best understood by reference to the equilibrium diagram. The part of the diagram in which we are interested and the effect of the thermal equilibrium relations on the physical properties of the alloy 88 copper, 10 tin, 2 zinc, have been discussed by Hoyt, Campbell, Primrose, and Rawdon.2 In Fig. 1 is given the equilibrium diagram of the copper-tin alloys. Briefly stated, the relations of composition and temperature changes are as follows. Compositions between A and a consist of but one constit ent—the a bronze, which is a solid solution of copper and tin, rich in copper. On cooling from the molten state these compositions gradually crystallize, at temperatures above 790°, into a mass of interwoven treelike crystals or dendrites. The cores of the dendrites are rich in copper and the percentage of tin gradually increases as the surfaces are approached. AS cooling progresses, after a11 the metal has crystallized, no further changes occur in the crystals other than diffusion within the crystals, which tends to erase the dendritic pattern and to render the structure more homogeneous. * Metallurgical Ceramist, U. S. Bureau of Standards, Associate Physicist, U. 8. Bureau of Standards. A. D. Flinn: Iron. Age (1915) 96, 1292-3. C. P. Karr: U. S. Bureau of Standards Tech. Paper 59, Pt. 1. S. L. Hoyt: Enging. (1913) 96, 667-7, 704-5. William Campbell: Trans. Am. Inst. Met. (1912) 6, 158-172. H. S. Primrose: Metal Ind. (1916) 14, 202-4. H. S. Rawdon: U. S. Bureau of Standards Tech. Paper 59, Pt. 11.

Jan 1, 1921

By C. O. Rison

HIGH explosives, particularly nitroglycerin, have been used in torpedoes for the purpose of shooting oil and gas wells for more than 60 years. The early history of the oil industry in Pennsylvania is not clear as to who actually torpedoed the first well, although in 1865 the Roberts Torpedo Co. procured a patent covering the process. Gunpowder was first used, although nitroglycerin was substituted shortly afterwards. Wells are shot for the purpose of increasing the flow of oil and gas A shot-hole in the producing horizon, with its contributory fissures and fractures, increases the area of and stimulates drainage into the hole. The shot-hole also acts as a collecting basin from which the oil is pumped. As a rule, hard or close-grained sands or limes are shot, other more or less porous and soft formations usually do not require shooting. and might be injured by blasting. Shooting is also resorted to in mechanical trouble such as straightening crooked holes, sidetracking pipe or tools, and for severing frozen strings of casing or drill pipe. Explosives arc also used sometimes to extinguish oil or gas-well fires although that work, which involves unusual conditions and methods, does not properly come within the classification of oil-well shooting. Some Factors to Be Considered in Shooting Wells Although nitroglycerin has been used extensively for more than half a century in shooting oil and gas wells, there is still a great deal of uncertainty as to the proper method of shooting or the amount of explosive required to produce best results in a particular formation. The possibility of shooting unproductive or cavey formations above or below the productive horizons, shooting into lower water, destroying casing seats, and the splitting or collapsing of casing strings, are factors that require consideration. The engineering departments of a number of the larger oil companies are making a study of methods of shooting, and the amounts of liquid nitroglycerin or other explosives required in shooting various productive

Jan 1, 1929