Search Documents

By AIME AIME

TRAINED as a mining engineer and with no little experience in the field of mining, his interests and activities later transferred to the alloying, fabrication, and physical metallurgy of nonferrous metals, principally silver, Robert H. Leach represents in his professional life both of the major phases of the fraternity of mining and metallurgical engineers. In his personal characteristics, his wide circle of true friendships, his kindly, sympathetic interest in the problems of his fellow engineers, be they the junior men of the mineral industries or the mature and experienced men, he typifies the characteristics and attitude so desirable in the professional man.

Jan 1, 1939

By Frederick Prime

The Great or Cumberland Valley, which (under a variety of names) extends from Canada, through Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and East Tennessee, to Alabama, is composed in part of limestones lying immediately above the Potsdam sandstone. Geologically, they belong to the era between the Potsdam and Trenton, and are commonly termed Calciferous. A peculiarity of these limestones is their great richness in limonite or brown hematite ores, which form a large part of the charges of the many blast-furnaces situated on their outcrops. The mines from which the ores are obtained are (properly speaking) only pits or quarries, from which 'the ore is extracted by means of picks or shovels, powder being rarely employed. The ore does not occur casually at any point in the limestone, but forms regular lines, following apparently the outcrops of certain beds. In Lehigh County, Penn., where 1 have been engaged on the Geological Survey of the State, during the past season, there are three or four of these lines. During the progress of the survey I was much struck by the fact that the two most important and promising lines of outcrop were, one at the base of the crystalline schists (forming the South or Lehigh Mountain), and overlying the Potsdam sandstone conformably; the other, near the line of junction of the calciferous limestone with the slates of the Cincinnati epoch. The mines along these two lines, following the topography of the country, were in place, richer and more permanent than those of the belts between, which were generally leaner. A peculiarity of these two lines of outcrop, and one to which I particularly desire to draw attention, is the occurrence of what I at first mistook for a highly altered slaty limestone, but which subsequent analysis proved to consist in great part of damourite (hydrated potash mica). The following are analyses of this damourite slate: I. From Fogelsville, Lehigh County, within a few hundred feet of the contact of limestone and slate, by Dr. F. A. Genth. 11. From Hensingerville, Lehigh County, within 300 feet of gneiss, by Mr. Sydney Castle, of the University of Pennsylvania. 111. From Allentown, Lehigh County, within 150 feet of con

PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR CHESTER A. FULTON NEW YORK, N. Y. PAST PRESIDENTS AND DIRECTORS EUCENE MCAULIFFE OMAHA, NEBR. C. H. MATHEWSON NEW HAVEN, CONN. TREASURER AND DIRECTOR ANDREW FLETCHER NEW, YORK, N. Y.

Jan 1, 1944

By Sadtler, C. B.

IT is generally assumed that in most metals and alloys a given tensile stress produces a given deformation irrespective of the length of time during which the stress is applied. This assumption is justified in most of the important engineering applications of metallic materials; however, in the case of some metals and alloys used or tested at temperatures over or slightly under that at which recrystallization can occur the assumption is not warranted.1 This paper deals with the variations of deformation produced by a constant tensile stress acting for varied lengths of time in the special case of thin aluminum alloy sheet of the duralumin type, which had been subjected to different thermal and mechanical treatments. The material investigated was in the form of a sheet approximately 0.002 in. thick, which had been cold-rolled from a thickness of 0.020 in. It has been found that at a sufficiently high constant tension such material deforms continuously with the elapse of time and that the rate at which this deformation occurs is greatly influenced by the previous thermal and mechanical treatments.

Jan 1, 1927

By A. B. Hersberger, R. S. Dean

Although it is obvious that in any flotation process we must have a froth, in recent years the development of collecting reagents has caused the possibilities of better frothing agents to be overlooked. Some investigators have even gone so far as to say that the number of satisfactory frothing agents was sufficient. A little consideration will show, however, that the reagents available in the past were far from ideal frothers. The properties of an ideal frother for flotation work may be set down as follows: 1. It must form in low concentrations a copious but not too persistent froth. 2. It must be insensitive to hydrogen-ion concentration of the pulp; that is, it must froth equally well in an acid or alkaline medium. 3. It must be insensitive to salts, even in high concentration. 4. It must be absolutely noncollecting to both sulfides and nonsulfides. 5. Its frothing properties must not be affected by collecting reagents, including soap, the most generally used nonsulfide collector. 6. It must readily emulsify and disperse any insoluble collecting agent that is likely to be used. Clearly the existing frothers do not qualify. Pine oil, for example, is an acceptable frother for many purposes but if used in soap flotation a delicate balance between pine oil and soap must be struck because, as pointed out by Coghill1, these two reagents are incompatible in certain concentrations. The objections to soap itself as a frother are obvious, and the cresols and their substitution products all have some collecting power and very little emulsifying power. The mechanism of frothing in flotation was early explained on the basis of the Harkins-Langmuir theory of oriented molecules.2 These investigators showed that if an organic compound having an unsym-metrical molecule (in which one end of the molecule contained water-

Jan 1, 1939

By R. S. Dean, A. B. Hersberger

Although it is obvious that in any flotation process we must have a froth, in recent years the development of collecting reagents has caused the possibilities of better frothing agents to be overlooked. Some investigators have even gone so far as to say that the number of satisfactory frothing agents was sufficient. A little consideration will show, however, that the reagents available in the past were far from ideal frothers. The properties of an ideal frother for flotation work may be set down as follows: 1. It must form in low concentrations a copious but not too persistent froth. 2. It must be insensitive to hydrogen-ion concentration of the pulp; that is, it must froth equally well in an acid or alkaline medium. 3. It must be insensitive to salts, even in high concentration. 4. It must be absolutely noncollecting to both sulfides and nonsulfides. 5. Its frothing properties must not be affected by collecting reagents, including soap, the most generally used nonsulfide collector. 6. It must readily emulsify and disperse any insoluble collecting agent that is likely to be used. Clearly the existing frothers do not qualify. Pine oil, for example, is an acceptable frother for many purposes but if used in soap flotation a delicate balance between pine oil and soap must be struck because, as pointed out by Coghill1, these two reagents are incompatible in certain concentrations. The objections to soap itself as a frother are obvious, and the cresols and their substitution products all have some collecting power and very little emulsifying power. The mechanism of frothing in flotation was early explained on the basis of the Harkins-Langmuir theory of oriented molecules.2 These investigators showed that if an organic compound having an unsym-metrical molecule (in which one end of the molecule contained water-

Jan 1, 1939

By A. L. Holley

The members of the society are doubtless aware that the production of American Bessemer steel works is constantly increasing; that the same converters and machinery are doing more work every year. This enlarged output is due to various causes, chiefly the following: 1st. Better organization—better knowledge on the part of both managers and men, of the plant and the process; of the way to economize the more exhausting labor, and of the arrangement of the details of labor and operations so that they shall not conflict; also, more pluck—a greater willingness to take risks, or, more properly, such an intimate knowledge of the nature and capacities of the refractory linings in various stages of disrepair, and the probable be- . havior of the fluid metal at various stages of its treatment, that the precise nature of the risk may be better known, so that the works may be crowded to their full capacity. In the early practice, after getting four or five consecutive heats in a day, the men preferred to " let well enough alone," and to devote the remaining time to preparation for another turn. Now, thirty, and sometimes forty heats are regularly made during the twenty-four hours, day after day, without the frequent occurrence and without the fear of breakdowns or " messes," as the spilling of steel charges was graphically named in Sheffield. 2d. Although no new refractory materials have been developed, improved means of preparing such as we have, and of imbedding

By J. Hall Carpenter, James E. Lawver

Shortly after the passage of the Taconite Amendment in Minnesota, several mining companies announced their intention to build new magnetite taconite plants and another announced its intention to augment present facilities. It is clear that Minnesota will enjoy an expanding magnetite taconite industry, but despite the fact that the reserves are large, eventually they will have to be supplemented by oxidized deposits. Furthermore, not all producers have magnetite taconite reserves. Due to the extensive oxidation of most of the western part of the Mesabi Range, there are no large blocks of unaltered magnetite taconite that lend themselves to open pit operations. Unless a commercial process can be developed to concentrate the oxidized, or so- called "nonmagnetic", taconite and semi-taconite, the existing mines operating in the western part of the range will be forced to shut down when the direct shipping, wash and gravity ores are depleted, or are no longer salable, because of their poor quality compared to high-grade pellets. KNOWN PROCESSES COSTLY The enormous reserves of the oxidized iron- bearing formation have offered a tantalizing challenge to metallurgists for many years. In fact, several processes for concentrating certain types of oxidized ore have been successful at both laboratory and pilot plant level, but to date no process for concentrating semitaconite or oxidized taconite has reached commercial fruition. Magnetic roasting, followed by low-intensity magnetic separation1, has shown considerable promise because the high iron recovery makes the ratio of concentration of many of the oxidized ores more favorable than that of magnetite taconite. However, the capital and operating costs are high and, in many cases, a high- grade concentrate cannot be made without resorting to flotation of the magnetic concentrate. Hence, most research groups are investigating alternate methods of concentration with the hopes of reducing the cost.

Jan 9, 1965

By E. H. Bunce

CONTINUED progress in zinc metallurgy has been shown during 1933 by the adoption of new methods as well as the modernization of old processes and equipment, and by the initiation of new fields of activity for future advancement. The use of suspension roasting continued to grow as its advantages and adaptability became increasingly, apparent. The process developed by the National Smelting Co., Ltd., several years ago, of completely roasting on large sintering machines with utilization of the gas for acid manufacture has worked so successfully that an additional machine was installed during the year. At both the Swansea and the Avonmouth Works all of the ore for smelting is now roasted on the large sintering machines, thereby completely eliminating the old hearth-roasting furnaces. Work continued on obtaining partial purification of zinc ores from lead and cadmium by close control of conditions on the sintering machine, and in a few instances by chlorine additions to the ore before sintering. Ores so treated were either partially roasted or com-

Jan 1, 1934

By Robert D. Pehlke, Arden L. Bement

A mass transfer coefficient for the removal of hydrogen from liquid aluminum by inert flush degassing has been determined experimentally at 700°C. A mathematical model has been derived, assuming transport control, which adequately describes the experimental data. The removal of hydrogen is shown to increase with decreasing bubble size, and with increasing flow of flushing gas. The presence of hydrogen in liquid metals in amounts which exceed the solid solubility at one atmosphere hydrogen pressure is highly undesirable, causing unsound ingots or castings, or resulting in difficulties during further fabrication. The removal of hydrogen from liquid metals can be accomplished by several methods, the principal two being vacuum treating and inert flush degassing. The design of a process involving either of these techniques is based on the mass transfer coefficient for hydrogen between the liquid metal and a hydrogen-dilute gas phase. In an effort to extend our knowledge in this area, an investigation of the rate of removal of hydrogen from liquid metals by inert gas flushing was undertaken. In view of the difficulties encountered with gas porosity in the casting of aluminum and aluminum alloys, and because of certain experimental advantages, liquid aluminum was selected for the study. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS The removal of gases from liquid metals, particularly steel, has received considerable attention in recent years, The first definitive work of a theoretical nature was presented by Geller1 who considered the case where equilibrium exists between purging gases and metal bath during flushing, and also deviations from this ideal case. Hulme2 has surveyed a number of experimental studies and discussed some of the practical limitations of removing dissolved gases from molten metals. More recently a number of studies have been reported on degassing of steel melts by flushing with an inert gas.3'4 Considerable work has also been reported on aqueous and organic liquid-gas systems, and an excellent summary prepared by Hovis.5 The treatment of liquid aluminum by a flushing gas to remove dissolved hydrogen has been known for several decades.6 A number of gases have been used for this purpose, including nitrogen, argon, and chlorine, or mixtures of these gases. Tikkanen and Erkko7 have studied the relative density changes of aluminum castings poured from melts degassed with chlorine, nitrogen, and mixtures of the two gases. Their

Jan 1, 1962

By H. E. Mussey

When the American Institute of Mining Engineers visited the Birmingham district in May, 1888, the four Ensley furnaces (Fig. 1) then completed were referred to as monumental.' Their dimensions are givcn in Table 1. Mr. Gordon stated, with considerable satisfaction, that on the preceding day one furnace had produced 165 tons. The blast was

Jan 1, 1925

By G. W. Preckshot, N. G. DeLisle, C. E. Cottrell, D. L. Katz

MOST crude oils contain asphaltic substances that may be naturally or artificially precipitated. In the Greeley field, California, this asphaltic bitumen is precipitated during the flow of the oil from the reservoir to the stock tank. The mechanism of such precipitation is not well understood. This paper presents the progress that has been made by using the electron microscope as a new tool and by observing the effects of the streaming potential on the formation of bitumen particles. Crude oils at atmospheric pressure viewed in the electron microscope in very thin films under a vacuum showed no asphaltic particles. A technique of preparing slides of thin films by dilution of the oil with benzene and washing in petroleum ether was used at first, and these observations showed that the solvents caused the formation of the particles, varying from 0.01 to 0.2 micron in diameter. The electrical effects of fluids flowing through porous solid were studied, with emphasis on the formation of colloidal particles by the streaming potential. The streaming potential of crude oil flowing through sand was measured and was shown to be responsible for the formation of bitumen particles. These results bring out a new phenomenon, which may occur when crude oil flows through the porous oil reservoir.

Jan 1, 1942

By H. M. Chance

In the early part of 1893, I had occasion to make for the owners a professional examination of the Rich Patch tract; and, with their permission, I present in this paper, omitting the commercial portions of my report, those portions which may be valuable to future students of that region. Location, Topography And Geology. The Rich Patch tract comprises about 9000 acres, located about 3 miles west of Low Moor, on the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, in Alleghany county, Va., and immediately adjoining the Low Moor property. In shape the tract is roughly quadrangular, being about 3 miles broad in a northerly and southerly direction, by about 6 miles long from east to West. Potts creek and Jackson river run along its northern boundary. It is drained by Hayes Gap run, Mill branch and Laurel creek, which flour north into Potts creek, and by Karnes creek, which flows northeasterly through the Low Moor property into Jackson river. The topography of the tract is shown by the accompanying map (Fig. I), and need not be described here. The valleys are cut down from 1000 to 1500 feet below the mountain summits, which generally reach an altitude of about 3000 feet above tide. The geological structure of the district is indicated by the geological cross-sections shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These sections show that the formations underlying the property extend from the Lower Silurian lin~estones up to the Devonian slates, including the numbers of the Paleozoic system of rocks as defined by the geological surveys of Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York, from No. 11. to No. VIII. • No. IX. Old Red Sandstone, No. VIII. Slates and Shales, Devoman-

Jan 1, 1900

The following is an incomplete list of members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period July 11, 1918 to August 11, 1918. John Carter Anderson, Tucson, Ariz. Edson S. Pettis, San Francisco, Cal. Lieut. Frank A. Ayer, Tyrone, N. M. Wm. H. Rettie, Yonkers, N. Y. W. R. Canton, McGill, Nev. J. T. Robertson, Port Richmond, S. I. Alden Crankshaw, Palmerton, Pa. Harry O. Robinson, Margarita, John Davenport, W. Norfolk, Va. Venezuela. A. Faison Dickson. C. K. Seng, Gilbert, Minn. F. A. Fahrenwald, Cleveland, C). E. S. Sheffield. L. Hall Goodwin, New York. H. G. Smith. W. H. W. Hamilton, Baker, Ore. Harry M. Spoor. Floyd D. James, St. Louis, Mo. H. H. Stoek, Urbana, Ill. George A. Laird. Arthur L. Tuttle, Copperhill, Tenn. J. W. McBride, Spokane, Wash. Thor Warner, Phoenix, Ariz. Arthur Notman, Bisbee, Ariz. Christopher G. Atwater, Manager Agricultural Dept., The Barrett Co., is in Washington serving the U. S. Navy Bureau of ordnance in connection with the Navy nitrate plant recently authorized by Congress. Edward Ludlam Blossom announces his marriage to Mabel Townsend, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Comings Mills, on Wednesday, July 17, 1918, at New York City.

Jan 9, 1918

By W. J. PRIESTLEY

WHEN during the war the Navy Department decided to build an armor-plate and gun-forging plant of its own at South Charleston, W. Va., one of the most important units of the equipment proposed was a 14,000 gross ton forging-press to be used for forging, bending, and rectifying battleship armor-plate and making hol¬low forgings for large caliber guns. A press suitable for doing this kind of work was put into operation in the fall of 1921 and was operated successfully on armor-plate and large forgings until the closing down of the ordnance plant following the Limitation of Armament Conference held in Washington, February, 1922. PURPOSE OF THE PRESS There are three methods by which armor-plate can be made, namely, hammering, forging, and rolling the ingot. Each method produces a different result in the mechanical working of the steel. The hammer was eliminated as impractical from an operating standpoint. The first armor-plate made in this country was worked under a hammer at the Bethlehem Steel Co., between the years 1891 and 1893, but was superseded by forging when the large press was completed in 1893. Harry T. Morris of the Bethlehem Steel Co. informs me that the 1.25-ton steam hammer began operations in 1891 and was in operation for about two years. The Carnegie Steel Co. and the Midvale Steel and Ordnance Steel Co. also forged armor-plate. Certain European manufacturers rolled the plates from large slab ingots, after removing the sink-head and giving the body of the ingot a light pass under a hydraulic press. While rolling accomplished more mechanical work on the surface of an armor plate, forging, on the other hand, resulted in a greater amount of work in the interior of the plate. Either type of equipment involved an enormous expendi¬ture, so it was deemed advisable to adopt the method which would make it possible to use the equipment for more than one purpose. Since g large rolling-mill could be used only for the single operation of rolling armor-plate, a press was decided on, for the reason that it might be designed so as to forge armor, as well as bend and rectify it, and also be used in the forging of ingots for large caliber guns, both in the form of hollow forgings and also solid shafts.

Jan 1, 1926

By H. I. Smith

WHEN Spain established colonies on the North American continent, some of her land grants, in what is now the United States, reserved to the Crown deposits of gold, silver, and mercury. Later mineral rights were reserved under some of the English Crown charters involving land in the eastern part of North America, with provisions for the payment of royalties thereon to the Crown. Reservation of mineral deposits to the United States Government was instituted by an ordinance of Congress on May 20, 1785, which applied to such deposits in the Northwest Territory, then north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River, and provided that there should be reserved "one third of all gold, silver, lead, and copper mines, to be sold or otherwise disposed of as Congress shall hereafter direct." Little was known then of the mineral resources of the country; the Great Lakes copper region had just come into the possession of the United States by treaty and much of the western mineral land still belonged to France and Spain. The policy of leasing mineral deposits was enacted by Congress under the act of March 3, 1807, which provided that "the President of the United States shall be, and is hereby, authorized to lease any lead mine which has been or may hereafter be discovered in the Indiana Territory, for a term not exceeding five years," and in the same year the Government reserved 345,600 acres of land in northern Illinois, valuable for lead. In 1816 Congress provided that in all cases where a tract of public land containing a lead mine or salt spring was applied for by settlers on the public domain, no permission to work the mine or spring would be granted without the approbation of the President of the United States. By the act of March 1, 1847 (9 Stat. 146), the control of mineral lands was transferred, with all records, from the War Department to the Treasury Department, and by the act of March 3, 1849 (9 Stat. 395), supervisory powers over lead and other mines of the United States were transferred to the Secretary of the Interior. Following the discovery of gold in California in 1848, President Polk advocated the leasing of mineral lands acquired from Mexico under the treaty of 1848. However, owing to the lack of communication and transportation facilities and the consequent difficulty of checking on production and operations, leasing was found impracticable. Mining was permitted to be carried on in each district under rules made by the miners themselves and patterned after the Mexican mining system. To meet the situation, Congress enacted mining laws in 1866, 1870, and 1872, which provided for possession by location and for private ownership, after discovery, by patent of essentially all mineral deposits belonging to the United States, except coal. Many other acts were passed by Congress applying to specific regions and states, reserving salt, lead, or other minerals, some of which provided for the leasing of such deposits. However, very few if any leases were issued thereunder. Not until 1901 (31 Stat. 745) were the mining laws extended to include salt, and in 1910 they were revised to specify salines and associated products. At the turn of the century, it became more and more evident that the mining laws developed for metallic minerals were not practical for the development and conservation of oil and gas, coal, potash, phosphate, or oil shale. Following withdrawals by the Secretary of the Interior as authorized by the act of June 25, 1910, the Department of the Interior recommended leasing legislation; however, it was not until February 25, 1920, that the Mineral Leasing Act was passed by Congress. This act authorized leasing all public lands potentially valuable for oil, gas, coal, phosphate, sodium, or oil shale. The Organic Act, creating the Geological Survey in 1879, imposed upon its director the duty of classifying the public lands.' The early years of the Survey were devoted largely to the accumulation of fundamental data and, with only minor exceptions, land classification was not seriously undertaken until 1906. Since that year, it has been actively pursued with respect particularly to leasable minerals and water power values. On March 3, 1873 (17 Stat. 607) Congress authorized the sale of coal lands of limited acreage to individuals at $10 to $20 an acre, depending on the distance from a railroad, and in 1907 a new scale of prices was adopted by the Secretary of the Interior, based, more logically, on the quality and thickness of the coal deposits, their depth below the earth's surface, and their accessibility. At that time it was much cheaper and easier to obtain incidental title to coal rights under the homestead laws at $1.25 an acre. On March 3, 1909, the first separation act (35 Stat. 844) became a law. It authorized patents, with a reservation of the coal and mining rights involved to the United States, to persons who in good faith had entered public lands under the non-mineral land laws prior to withdrawal, classification, claim, or report that such lands were valuable for coal. It solved the problem only partially, and the practice thereupon adopted by the department of making coal withdrawals "from all forms of entry" instead of "from coal entry" expedited the more complete solution effected by later acts. By the act of June 22, 1910 (36.Stat. 583) withdrawn and classified coal lands were declared subject to entry under the homestead, desert land, and Carey acts, provided a waiver of the coal rights accompanied the application, and by the act of April 30, 1912 (37 Stat. 105) the same privilege was extended to State selections and isolated tracts. The act of August 24, 1912 (37 Stat. 496) extended the separation policy to lands withdrawn for oil and gas in Utah, and finally the act of July 17, 1914 (38 Stat. 509) extended it to all nonmineral filings on public lands theretofore or thereafter

Jan 1, 1955

Aamot, Olav Crone, (M'29) Chem. Engr., Elektro¬kemisk, Raadhusgt, 23; Oslo, Norway. Abadilla. Quirico A., (M'33) Min. Engr., Dir., Bureau of Mines, Manila, P. I. Abbott, Agatin T., ( J'40) Asst. Geol., Trench Mine, Patagonia, Ariz. Abbott, Clarence E., (M'04) Civil Engr., V.P., Tennessee Coal Iron & R. R. Co.. 159'3 Brown Marx Bldg.. Birmingham, Ala. Abel, Raymond L., (M'28) Chem. Engr., Chief of Inspection Div., Pittsburgh Chem. Warfare Pro¬curement Dist., American Batik Bldg., Pitts¬burgh. Pa. Abel, Walter D., (M'32) Min. Engr.. Div. of Cor¬porations, State of Calif.. 403 California State Bldg., Los Angeles, Calif. Abele. Louis T., (M'31) 4800 Patterson Ave.. Richmond, Va. Abell, Leo M., (M'311 Research Met., Mount Mor¬gan Ltd., Mount Morgan, Queensland, Australia. Abenius, Hakan V., (M'37) c/o Falu Gruva, Falun, Sweden. Abernathy. G. E., (M '33S) Geol., Kansas State Geol. Survey. Pittsburg, Kan. Abernathy, Jack. H.. (M'40) Chief Engr., Sunray Oil Co.. Philtower B1dg., Tulsa. Okla. Ahorn, Robert H., (M'19) Asst. Met., Research Lab., U. S. Steel Corp., Lincoln Highway, Kearny, N. J. Abraham, A. W., (M'30) Petr. Engr., Richfield Oil Corp., 555 S. Flower St., Los Angeles. Calif. Abramowitz, William L., (J'40) Chem., National Oil Products Co., Harrison, N. J. Abrams, Charles Jackson, (M'36) Gen'l Supt., Climax Molybdenum Co.; Climax, Colo. Abstein, Henry T., (M'27) Yellow Pine, Idaho. Ackerman, D. E., (M'35) McKinsey & Co., 2 Wall St., New York, N. Y. Ackerman. E. Dumont, (A'3S) Petr. Geol.. Dist. Geol., Quiriquire' Dist., Standard Oil Co. of Venezuela, Caripito, Venezuela.

Jan 1, 1941

By B. H. Caudle, L. G. Davies, I. H. Silberberg

This paper presents a method of predicting the recovery and performance of a five-spot steam injection project, in which a realistic approach to pattern sweepout efficiencies is made. Published methods for radial systems were modified for the five-spot pattern by approximating the stream lines with straight lines radiating from the injection well and then converging to the producing well. In each radial segment, the position of the steam front and the temperature profile ahead of the steam front were determined by heat balance equations, which included an estimation of heat losses to surrounding formations. The location of the saturations behind the cold water front was determined from a Buckley-Leverett solution to the material balance equation. Results from this program show steamflood recovery in a five-spot pattern to be considerably less than that predicted for true linear or radial flow systems. For a specific reservoir containing 900-cp oil, a steamflood in a purely radial flow system was predicted to recover more than 75 percent of the original oil in place when 2 PV of water had been injected as steam. A five-spot steamflood with otherwise identical properties was predicted to recover 10 percent of the original oil in place when 0.15 PV of water had been injected as steam and to recover almost no oil thereafter. A cold water five-spot flood in this system was predicted to recover approximately W percent of the oil in place with I PV of water injected. For a five-spot pattern in an example reservoir with 10-cp oil, steam injection similarly showed lower ultimate recovery than water injection but no improvement in recovery rule. Introduction The thermal recovery method considered in this study is steam injection in a five-spot pattern. Pattern steam injection has been given little attention in the past, possibly because of some rather obvious disadvantages. Unless steam temperature is maintained throughout the entire swept area, the process will revert to simple waterflood with all heat being lost prior to reaching the oil bank. Also, the oil viscosity reduction takes place near the steam front and not around the producing wellbore, so that low producing rates must still be endured. This is the reason for the success of the steam stimulation, or cyclic injection, in which the fluids are produced from the same well used for injection. On the other hand, steamflooding can offer some advantages. Oil displacement is by four methods: (1) mechanical displacement by the condensed water, (2) viscosity reduction of the crude oil, (3) swelling of the crude oil, and (4) distillation of the crude oil in the steam zone. Although dependent upon the crude, laboratory experiments have shown displacements up to 80 percent by steamflooding. In addition, steam is a good heat transport medium, since it is cheap and has a high heat content. Previous Investigations Previous publications have reported methods for predicting recovery in a steamflood for linear and radial systems. Since no pattern sweep efficiency is taken into consideration, the recovery even from a radial system must be greater than from more realistic geometries such as the very common five-spot patterns. Probably the broadest coverage is given by Willman who reported experimental results and offered a method of predicting recovery for a radial flow system. They concluded that both hot water and steam injection recover more oil than an ordinary waterflood, and that steam injection could yield recoveries "as much as 100 percent greater than by water flood." They also concluded that both the heat requirements for a reservoir and the residual oil remaining in the reservoir after steam injection were independent of the amount of oil originally in place, that short exploitation times were desirable, and that a high percentage of net sand in the reservoir with a high initial oil saturation was desirable. The method assumes that the flood occurs in three concentric cylindrical zones: (1) an inner steam zone, (2) a central hot water zone, and (3) an outer cold waterflood zone. Displacement in the steam zone is based on laboratory-determined residual oil saturations while the hot water and cold water zones use the conventional Buckley-Leverett equations. Although the results shown by Willman et al. are for a radial system flowing out from the well to an assumed external circular boundary, their equations did

Jan 1, 1969

[A Aall, Christian H., M49 D Mgr, American Metal Climax, Inc., 61 Broadway, New York 6, N.Y. Aaroe, S. L., A54 B Sales Mgr, The W. S. Tyler Co. of Can. Ltd., St. Catharines, Ont., Canada Abalos, Teodulo Q., J57 A Foreman, Lepanto Cons. Ming. Co., Mt. Province, Philippines Abbass, G., M55 P. O. Box 680, Hong Kong, China . Abbitt, James M., A54 770 Sole Blvd., Bartow, Fla. Abdullah, M. Y., J53 Dept. of Mines Res. Div., P. O. Box 1016, Tiger Lane, Ipoh Perak, Malaya Able, John F., Jr., J53 A Ming Engr, USA SIPRE 1215 Washington Ave., Wilmette, Ill. Abell, Leo M., M31 B Conct Supt, Phelps Dodge Corp., Morenci, Ariz. Abenius, Hakan Wilhelm, M52 A Mng Dir, Stora Kopparbergs Bergslags AB, Falun, Sweden Abenoroth, Harry F., A57 Natl. Carbon India Ltd., 18A Brabourne Rd., Box 217, Calcutta, India Abercrombie, Harry W., J56 1645 Camphor Dr., Lakeland, Fla.]

Jan 1, 1961

By C. H. Mahoney, A. L. Tarr, P. E. Le Grand

Magnesium, it is now generally realized, differs in some important aspects from most other structural metals, not excepting even its close neighbors, the aluminum-base alloys. This is particularly true with respect to the effects of elevated temperatures on the two light metals when in the molten state. Aluminum, 0' the one hand, should not be raised above its melting point any higher than is absolutely necessary if one is to avoid danger of gas absorption and a tendency toward grain growth in the resultant casting.' Magnesium alloys, in sharp contrast, actually benefit by being heated to temperatures considerably above their melting point, It is a commonly accepted practice to establish the desired fine grain in the industrial magnesium alloys of the aluminum-hearing group by raising the temperature of the melt after the refining treatment to some 250°C (482°F.) above the melting range. To recall briefly the typical practice for magnesium alloys, the molten metal is refined by fluxing at about 730°C. (I350°F.), and after the melt has been covered with a suitable flux, the temperature is raised to between 870°C. (I600°F.) and 930°C. (1700°F.). It is then cooled as quickly as possible to the casting temperature. This superheating, as it is called, results in a fine-grained cast metal structure which has superior mechanical properties, enhanced amenability to 'solution heat-treatment, and better machinability than cast metal that has not been superheated. The minimum temperature of superheating varies to some extent with the composition of the alloys to be treated and usually increases with the percentage of magnesium in alloys containing the same constituent metals.' It should be noted that the grain-refining effect of superheating is markedly apparent only in connection with the alloys containing aluminum as an alloying Constituent—the binary alloy containing 1.5 per cent manganese, for example, is not refined in grain to any noticeable extent by a superheating effort. While the phenomenon of superheating is well known in the magnesium industry, the mechanism of the process has remained a mystery During the superheating cycle something occurs that forces a fine grain upon the solidifying metal. The process has been controlled in an empirical manner, and occasionally, especially on large-scale melts, and for no apparent cause, no grain refinement is obtained from a superheating treatment. Only a few papers of importance have been published on the subject. Of these, one of the most helpful is the paper by Achenbach, Nipper and Piwowarski,3 which gives considerable data concerning the effect of superheating on various properties such as fluidity, shrinkage and hot crack

Jan 1, 1945