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By ZJ. H. Brophy, A. L. Prill, H. W. Hayden

The effect of Group VIII transition-element additions on the sintering of tungsten powders is shown to be dependent on the phase relationships of the particular tungsten-Group VIII metal alloy system. The acceleration of sintering with nickel additions is diminished by alloying nickel with copper which is known to diminish both the tungsten solubility in nickel and the solid-vapor surface energy. In work previously published on the effects of additions of Ni, Pd, Pt, Rh, Ru, and Ir, which form solid solutions or intermediate phases of wide composition width with tungsten, sintering behavior is independent of element concentration beyond that concentration necessary to form a continuous layer on the surface of the tungsten powders employed. The sintering behavior of tungsten with additions of iron or cobalt, which form intermetallic compounds with tungsten, is highly dependent on addition-element concentration. Additions in excess of amounts necessary to form continuous layers lead to successively decreased sintering rates. The effects of certain Group VIII transition metals on the sintering rates of tungsten at temperatures below those at which a liquid phase would be predicted have recently been investigated by the present authors1-4 It was found that small additions of palladium, nickel, rhodium, platinum, and ruthenium accelerate the rate of tungsten sintering. Additions of iridium decelerated the rate of densification compared to that of pure tungsten in the same temperature range. In all cases the rate of densification changed with increasing amounts of these additions, up to those compositions at which a continuous layer was formed on the surfaces of the tungsten-powder particles. The rate of densification was then independent of further increases of the compositions of any of these addition elements. These observations were consistent with a sintering model in which the addition element formed an interface with tungsten in which tungsten dif-fusivity was either greater or less than its grain boundary self-diffusivity. Kinetic analysis of this model indicated that linear shrinkage should vary according to the relation:

Jan 1, 1964

By M. van Swaay, C. E. Birchenall

Palladium has a large capacity for the dissolution or occlusion of hydrogen; the gas also diffuses very rapidly through the metal. Palladium thimbles are widely used in the laboratory for purification of hydrogen by diffusion. The use of palladium filters could be extended to several large-scale applications if greater stability of the permeation process could be attained. In this paper a number of aspects contributing toward this goal are discussed, and new data on solubility and diffusivity are given. Palladium sheets of 0.005, 0.010, or 0.020 in. thickness were prepared by three procedures: casting and rolling, sintering palladium powder, and sintering palladium powder to which 0.1 pct thorium oxide had been added. Half-inch diam circular specimens were cut and clamped in a stainless steel holder provided with knife edges to seal the palladium sheet with soft copper gaskets. The seals were tested for leaks at l0-5 mm Hg. No difficulties from this source were encountered even after many temperature cycles in the system. The holder was silver-soldered to Kovar-glass seals and attached to the system through glass ball joints. Each joint was sealed with Apiezon wax and was adjacent to a cold trap. In several experiments the holders were fused directly into the system, eliminating the ball joints, to show that the wax did not affect the filter. Three filter holders were supported in holes in a stainless steel cylinder, which also acted as a temperature equalizing block inside the resistance wound furnace. The measuring thermocouple was inserted in one of the holders. A potentiometric controller with control thermocouple on the furnace heater winding maintained ± 0.2oC. Electrolytic hydrogen was purified and stored as shown in the flow diagram, Fig. 1. It could be admitted to either or both sides of the palladium specimens. Only a mechanical pump was used, for even high pumping speeds would not bring the pressure on the off-gas side of the filter below 10 to 50p Hg owing to the rapid hydrogen flow through the filters. A series of steady-state permeability studies allowed identification of several conditions of permeability loss. A constant fore pressure was maintained while the low-pressure face was pumped. After enough time had elapsed for a steady flow to be established the pump was cut off, and the rate of pressure increase in a thermostated bulb was measured to determine the flow rate. The time delay method of Daynes1,9 was adopted since it offered the possibility of determining solubilities and diffusivities. For each measurement both sides of the filter were evacuated for 15 min, which gave about 10-4mm Hg residual pressure. Hydrogen was admitted to one side or the other of the filter at a fixed pressure. The pressure on the off-gas side was observed as a function of time. A

Jan 1, 1961

[Alphabetic Section (Page 689): The letter immediately following the member's name indicates grade: M-Member, A-Associate, J-Junior. The numerals following member's grade indicate year of election. The letter following year of election indicates primary Divisional affiliation: A-Mining & Exploration F-Coal B-Minerals Beneficiation G-Petroleum C-Iron and Steel H-Industrial Minerals D-Extractive Metallurgy J-Council o f Education E-Institute of Metals K-Council o f Economics]

Jan 1, 1961

By L. J. Klinkenberg

It is pointed out that the current concept of pore size distribution is not unequivocally defined and that different methods aiming at a determination of such a distribution therefore do not lead to the same results. A pore size distribution should not be based on the idea that a core should, under all circumstances, behave as a bundle of straight non-interconnected capillaries of the same pore size distribution. This is illustrated by calculations and experiments on the displacement of miscible liquids. INTRODUCTION The introduction of the concept of pore size distribution has been an attempt to characterize the intricate geometry of the flow channels in porous media. As pores in a porous medium are interconnected it is impossible to describe exactly what is meant by a "pore" and, therefore, the term pore size distribution requires further amplification. In the visual method for the determination of pore size distribution "the pore" is considered to be the hole between the grains as observed on thin sections or on a polished surface of the rock under a microscope. In all other presently known methods,1,2 a displacement process is studied and it is ascertained what as- semblaae of straight cylindrical capillaries would show the same behavior. The distribution of the capillary diameters of this assemblage is said to represent the size distribution of the pores of the actual porous medium. From the foregoing it is already apparent that it is useless to try to decide which process or which method of investigation leads to a "correct" pore size distribution. To illustrate this further a displacement process in which a fluid is displaced by another miscible with it will be discussed and the results will be interpreted in terms of a pore size distribution. DISPLACEMENT EXPERIMENTS WITH MISCIBLE LIQUIDS OF NEARLY IDENTICAL VISCOSITY AND DENSITY Interpretation in the Form of a Pore Size Distribution If distilled water is displaced from a homogeneous unconsolidated sand pack by, for instance, a dilute solution of NaCI, the breakthrough recovery i.e., the amount of distilled water produced at the moment the first trace of NaCl can be detected in the effluent water, is between 95 and 100 per cent of the pore volume of the pack. This result can be understood by following in imagination the course of one particle of the liquid. Imagine a length, ?l, at the end of which a liquid particle has an independent chance of a renewed choice of pores of different diameters. In other words, the particle has a choice of traveling time, at, for any length ?l; instead

Jan 1, 1958

By H. Hubert

THE first attempts at direct utilization of blast-furnace gas in engines were made in 1895. For a considerable time the gas had been burnt in Cowper stoves for heating the blast for the furnace, and under the boilers which supplied steam to the blowing-engines, and others serving the furnaces. It was natural, therefore, that the idea of directly employing it in gas-engines should have occurred simultaneously to several engineers, notably to Lürmann and to Lencauchez, who had pointed out the blast-furnace as a powerful -gas-producer. Nevertheless, nowhere had any attempt been made to apply it to this purpose up to the end of 1894, when Thwaite proposed it to Mr. James Riley, of the Glasgow Iron & Steel Company. About the same time investigations were being made in Belgium and in Germany, independently of Thwaite's experiments, which were not generally known on the Continent. The industrial world, which up to that time had hardly favored the idea, had thus been gradually prepared to receive it. The gas-engine, long restricted to small sizes and dependent upon the use of an expensive fuel obtainable only in large centers, now began to make headway. At the Paris Exhibition of 1889 two engines of 100 h.p. were shown and excited much interest among engineers. One had four cylinders, and was made at the celebrated works of the Deutz Company, and the other was a single-cylinder engine, exhibited by two French designers, Messrs. Delamare-Deboutteville and Malandin. In the meanwhile the design of gas-producers had made important progress, completely freeing the new engine from its

Nov 1, 1906

J. L. CHRISTIE, Chairman T. S. FULLER, Past-chairman W. M. PEIRCE, Vice-chairman W. A. SCHEUCH, Vice-chairman E. M. WISE, Secretary International Nickel Co., Bayonne, N. J. W. M. CORSE, Treasurer Executive Committee H. A. BEDWORTH G. O. HIERS D. K. CRAMPTON R. H. LEACH E. H. DIX, JR. R. F. MEHL J. A. GANN J. WALTER SCOTT' JEROME STRAUSS Finance Committee T. S. FULLER, Chairman W. M. CORSE H. S. RAWDON C. H. MATHEWSON SAM TOUR

Jan 1, 1934

[VOL. XXXVI. Page. Line. 155 29 For "Joachimstahl," read "Joachimsthal." 215 Foot-note 2. For " May, 1892," read " May, 1902." 216 21 For " ack-screw," read " jack-screw." VOL. XXXVII. 31 3 For "quantity of tons," read "quantity of slimes." 35 10 Expunge "recorded in Table VII." 37 24 Expunge "to." 38 33 For "page 89," read "page 9." 44 40 For "page 86," read "page 6." 47 In table, third line under heading "Excavators and Conveyors," expunge "per 40 ft. of."]

Jan 1, 1918

By O. C. Wheeler

The activity in exploration and in the acquisition of prospective oil lands that reached such a high level in Colombia during 1936 gained momentum and reached unprecedented proportions during 1937. Both national and private lands were taken up. In the Magdalena Valley above Puerto Berrio, leases on large tracts of private lands are held by Richmond (Standard of California), Shell and Texas. Tropical also owns leases covering a block of acreage in this area near Honda. From Puerto Berrio to El Banco most of the acreage is of national ownership, and concessions covering parts of this area have been granted to Tropical, Socony Vacuum, Shell and others, while applications for additional concessions are pending. Latterly leases on private lands below the Lebrija River have been taken out by Shell and Richmond. In the drainage basins of the Meta and Guaviare Rivers of the Llanos region of eastern Colombia, several of the major companies have carried on geological exploration and it is understood that some private properties have been leased or optioned. Under Colombian law, subsoil rights are reserved to the nation on all lands that passed from Government ownership after Oct. 28, 1873. Private titles antedating that day carry both surface and subsurface rights. Conditions under which lands may be acquired, explored and

Jan 1, 1938

By M. C. LYNN

RECENT completion of a $40,000 lubricating oil plant will make it possible for students in the School of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Oklahoma to carry out on a large scale the entire process of refining crude oil, from the time it is received in tank cars and pumped through the 1/4-mile University pipe line to storage tanks on the campus until the various products appear in finished form. This plant is part of a $100,000 expansion program which this school has been carrying out during the past year. Two years ago the Oklahoma State Legislature appropriated $50,000 for the School to use in improving its laboratory facilities. A few months later a $30,000 PWA grant was ob-

Jan 1, 1937

By Harold Vance

EMPLOYERS of engineers have not always been satisfied with the training that young graduates have received in the conventional four-year course. Specifically, employers of petroleum engineers for a number of years have believed that a four-year course does not allow sufficient time for the student to secure a fundamental engineering background plus the fundamentals of petroleum engineering. A group of California employers went so far as to set up a type of curriculum for a petroleum-engineering course, which was based on four years of undergraduate work and one year of graduate work, with most of the petroleum-engineering courses included in the graduate year.

Jan 1, 1944

By Edward Saibel

The various theories that have been advanced to explain or predict the conditions under which a metal fractures may be divided into two categories: First, there are the macroscopic theories generally used in engineering practice. These are empirical in nature and limited in application. For example, the maximum normal stress criterion, which is quite satisfactory for a mild steel in simple tension at atmospheric pressure,' no longer suffices when this steel is pulled under hydrostatic pressure.2 In all of these empirical theories, the critical condition characteristic of the material and of the loading conditions must be obtained experimentally. Secondly, there are the theories based on interatomic forces,3'4 or on the energy required to form new surfaces.5,6 These have all dealt with the theoretical evaluation of the tensile stress necessary to bring about rupture in a purely brittle manner; that is, without plastic flow preceding fracture. All of these attempts have led to values of the tensile strength of crystals or of polycrystalline bodies that are 100 to 1000 times higher than observed values. On this account, it has been thought necessary by some investigators to conceive of a microcrack structure or distribution of flaws throughout the specimen such that the resulting stress concentrations provide the factor necessary to bring about agree- ment between calculation and experiment. It has been pointed out by several observers' that this point of view is highly unrealistic, in that the weakening effect of these flaws or microstructures must be very uniform from specimen to specimen, since the fracture stresses found for various specimens of the same material tested under similar conditions are so nearly constant. Furthermore, since calculations based on atomic forces or atomic energy are for purely brittle fracture, a condition probably never satisfied in tests, agreement is hardly to be expected. Thermodynamic Theory of Fürth In order to resolve this apparent discrepancy between the theoretical cohesive strengths and the observed fracture strengths, Fürth8 advanced a thermodynamic theory of the tensile strength of isotropic bodies based on work of Born relating to the melting of crystals. Assuming an isotropic material free from imperfections and flaws, behaving elastically up to the breaking point, and assuming a connection between rupture and the melting phenomenon, Fürth obtains an expression for the rupture stress a, in the form where Q is the melting energy per unit mass, p is the density, and is Poisson's ratio. Furth compares fracture stresses computed from Eq I with the fracture stresses of metals as given in the Landolt-Bernstein Tables (1927) and in the Hand-

Jan 1, 1947

By Edward Saibel

The various theories that have been advanced to explain or predict the conditions under which a metal fractures may be divided into two categories: First, there are the macroscopic theories generally used in engineering practice. These are empirical in nature and limited in application. For example, the maximum normal stress criterion, which is quite satisfactory for a mild steel in simple tension at atmospheric pressure,' no longer suffices when this steel is pulled under hydrostatic pressure.2 In all of these empirical theories, the critical condition characteristic of the material and of the loading conditions must be obtained experimentally. Secondly, there are the theories based on interatomic forces,3'4 or on the energy required to form new surfaces.5,6 These have all dealt with the theoretical evaluation of the tensile stress necessary to bring about rupture in a purely brittle manner; that is, without plastic flow preceding fracture. All of these attempts have led to values of the tensile strength of crystals or of polycrystalline bodies that are 100 to 1000 times higher than observed values. On this account, it has been thought necessary by some investigators to conceive of a microcrack structure or distribution of flaws throughout the specimen such that the resulting stress concentrations provide the factor necessary to bring about agree- ment between calculation and experiment. It has been pointed out by several observers' that this point of view is highly unrealistic, in that the weakening effect of these flaws or microstructures must be very uniform from specimen to specimen, since the fracture stresses found for various specimens of the same material tested under similar conditions are so nearly constant. Furthermore, since calculations based on atomic forces or atomic energy are for purely brittle fracture, a condition probably never satisfied in tests, agreement is hardly to be expected. Thermodynamic Theory of Fürth In order to resolve this apparent discrepancy between the theoretical cohesive strengths and the observed fracture strengths, Fürth8 advanced a thermodynamic theory of the tensile strength of isotropic bodies based on work of Born relating to the melting of crystals. Assuming an isotropic material free from imperfections and flaws, behaving elastically up to the breaking point, and assuming a connection between rupture and the melting phenomenon, Fürth obtains an expression for the rupture stress a, in the form where Q is the melting energy per unit mass, p is the density, and is Poisson's ratio. Furth compares fracture stresses computed from Eq I with the fracture stresses of metals as given in the Landolt-Bernstein Tables (1927) and in the Hand-

Jan 1, 1947

By John Mathews

IT is twenty years since the writer made his first molybdenum steels and others were making them commercially five years earlier but the prevailing opinion seems to be that molybdenum steels are new; from time to time the daily press speaks of important discoveries in Europe and intimates that American steel makers have much to learn in regard to alloy steels. The earlier experiments were largely confined to the use of relatively high percentages of molybdenum in tool steels and permanent magnet steels. Recent developments deal with the types of alloy structural steels used for airplane, automobile, and other engineering requirements; in these, the molybdenum content is usually less than 1 per cent. The earlier types generally have been unsuccessful commercially, but the newer types of steels are becoming of increasing importance. The war showed our dependence on foreign sources for alloying metals; molybdenum alone is widely distributed in the United States and seemingly abundant. Many deposits are not now of commercial interest, owing to location and relatively small amount of ore available, but other deposits are being developed and a stable source of supply seems well assured. In tool and magnet steels, it was early found that 1 part of molybdenum was equivalent to from 2 to 2.5 parts of tungsten. The permanent magnet steels investigated by Madame Curie,1 in 1898, contained from 3.36 to 4.05 per cent. molybdenum; in 1902, Dr. E. L. French and the writer thoroughly tested steels containing from 2:0 to 4.0 per cent. These steels gave satisfactory tests for permanence, but were low in residual density and much more sensitive to hardening than the corresponding tungsten products. We discontinued work with them, therefore, and have no advice that such steels have been used commercially here or abroad.

Jan 2, 1921

By B. N. Das, J. B. Darby, P. A. Beck, Y. Shimomura

A POWDER pattern for the (Cr, Mo, Co)R-phase annealed at 1200°C was reported in 1951.1 Through the courtesy of Prof. D. P. Shoemaker of Massachusetts Institute of Technology the authors became aware of inconsistencies of this pattern with that to be expected from the structure of the R-phase, as determined by Komura, Shoemaker, and Shoemaker.' In addition, Professor Shoemaker also noted that the powder pattern reported8 for the (Cr, Mo, Co)D-phase, annealed at 1300°C, agreed fairly well with that to be expected from the newly determined structure of the R-phase. In view of these findings, the previously reported powder patterns of the R-phase and of the D-phase were compared carefully. It was found that most lines in the two patterns (22 lines) were to a fair degree of accuracy related to each other by a single conversion ratio for the corresponding d spacings. The value of the conversion ratio was found to be 1.0058, so that the d spacings of the D-phase pattern previously reported were larger than the correspond- ing d spacings for the reported R-phase pattern by approximately that factor. The intensity relationships between corresponding lines in the two patterns were similar, as judged visually. The following exceptions were noted: Lines Nos. 2, 3, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25 of the D-phase pattern,:' all designated weak or very weak, were missing in the apparently somewhat fainter R-phase pattern used.' Lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 15 and 34 (all weak or very weak), reported for the R-phase, were missing in the D-phase pattern, Table I. In view of these observations it seemed probable that the two patterns differed from each other mainly by a slight change in lattice parameters (with c/a remaining approximately constant), and that the pattern previously reported for the R-phase contained some weak extraneous lines, most likely to be attributed to impurities. In order to check the foregoing assumption, two specimens of an alloy containing 43 pct by weight of cobalt, 41 pct molybdenum, and 16 pct chromium, which was within the composition range of stability of both the D-phase at 1300°C and of the R-phase at 1200°C, were homogenized at 1200 and 1300°C, respectively, and quenched. X-ray diffraction patterns of the powders of these two specimens, obtained with CrK radiation, were compared carefully with each other and with the D-phase pattern previously

Jan 1, 1959

By R. I. Jaffee, R. W. Wood, H. R. Ogden, D. N. Williams

D. W. Morgan, D. H. Polonis,and R Taggart (Uuivevsity of Washington)—Dispersion hardening in titanium-copper alloys is of particular interest to us in view of our current research activities in phase transformations in this system. We should like to raise questions concerning several points in the paper. The flow sheet for fabrication and heat treatment (Authors' Fig. 2) indicates that 0.045 in sheet is treated in air for a period of 30 min at 1625' F. Were any surface coatings used to reduce oxygen contamination at this stage? One might ask the same question about the 8-hr annealing at 1400F. Contamination during fabrication and heat treatment of such thin sections could be considerable without some protection. Although the authors state that no analyses were made, they note that contamination masks the distinction between base strengths of the different alloys. In this connection, what fabrication and heat-treatment procedures were used in obtaining the comparison specimens of unalloyed titanium? It would seem that oxygen contamination must cast doubt on the reliability of the proposed strength-mean free path relationship deduced from the data (Authors' Fig. 5). It is usual to evaluate dispersion hardening on the basis of yield strength rather than ultimate tensile strength, and accordingly we have replotted the authors' Fig. 1 to include yield strength. The yield strength data do not justify a discontinuity of 3 p at either 70" or 1000 OF. Can the authors substantiate their conclusion 1) with additional evidence? Otherwise it seems that they have succeeded only in pointing out the possibility of a linear relationship between yield strength (or Uts) and the logarithm of the nleall free path, comparable with that demonstrated for iron-carbon alloys (Authors' Ref. 2). Work in our own laboratories has shown that the hardness of the phase Ti,Cu is 235 Vpn, and that of a 1.5 pct (at.) (2 pct wt) supersaturated solid solution of copper in titanium is 190 Vpn. This small difference in hardness would suggest that Ti2Cu should not be a very effective dispersion-hardening phase. D. N. Williams, R. W. Wood, H. R Ogden, RI. L Jaffee (authors' reply)— This discussion brings out some interesting points with respect to the interpretation of our results, and also raises some questions regarding the experimental technique. We shall consider the latter questions first. Contamination during heat treatment was prevented by performing all heat treatments in argon-filled Vycor capsules. Fabrication was done in air, with the usually observed scaling. Scale was removed

Jan 1, 1962

By F. R. Cattoir, R. W. Kimball, C. T. Anderson, V. V. Donaldson

THIS paper is the second of a series on the effect of various elements on hot-working characteristics of Fe-C alloys to be issued by this laboratory. The investigations being conducted at the Ferroalloy Research Branch of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, Redding, Calif., involve fundamental research on the effects of various alloying materials and impurities on the physical properties of high purity Fe-C alloys. This paper deals with the determination of the limit of forgeability of steels containing varying amounts of manganese and sulphur. A paper discussing the hot-working characteristics and the physical properties of the forgeable alloys is being prepared. One of the principal impurities in all steels is sulphur.. The phenomenon, hot-shortness, commonly attributed to sulphur, has long been a source of expense and inconvenience to both the maker and user of steels. In steelmaking practice, this effect of sulphur has been overcome by the addition of manganese which, apparently, acts as a desulphurizer. Manganese is also used as a deoxidizer and alloying material. The critical and strategic position of man- ganese gives added importance to research which may contribute to its conservation and more effective utilization. It is not the purpose or intention in the present paper to give any explanation of the mechanism of either hot-shortness or its prevention but rather to report the results of forging high purity Fe-C alloys of the range of compositions near the limit of hot-forgeability. Temperatures for each phase of reduction were duplicated within 20" to 30°F for all tests. The starting material was sponge iron, which, after melting and purification, gave a high purity iron containing about 0.001 pct each of silicon and phosphorus. Scrap iron was not considered suitable because of its high percentage of contaminants and wide variation in analyses. The sponge iron was melted and refined for melting stock in a three-phase, direct-arc, size ST, Moore Rapid Lectromelt furnace with a 500 kva rating as described in the preceding paper. Additives were carefully selected to avoid addition of contaminants. The sulphur was added as resublimed flowers of sulphur or purified roll sulphur of analytical grade. The manganese used was dehydrogenated high purity electrolytic material produced by the Bureau of Mines plant at Boulder City, Nev. High purity aluminum in the form of wire was used for deoxidation. The limestone was obtained locally and had the following analysis: CaO, 53.7 pct; MgO, 0.8; ignition loss, 42.4; R2O3, 0.2; SiO2,3.0; and P2O5, 0.014.

Jan 1, 1955

By Thomas T., Read

TWO American students entered the Ecole des Mines in 1856, Joseph Lesley of Philadelphia and Thomas Egleston of New York. Lesley remained there only one year, but Egleston completed the whole 'curriculum and received, in 1860, the certificate given to foreign students .in lieu of the official appointment and degree. awarded French students. Returning home he received, in 1861, an appointment by Secretary Henry of the Smithsonian Institution to sort, label, and arrange the collections of mineralogical and geological specimens which had been brought to Washington by the various government exploring expeditions in the West. Thomas Egleston, born in New York City on Dec. 9, 1832, was the son of Thomas Jefferson Egleston, who came to New York from Massachusetts some time before 1829. The first American ancestor of the family had settled near Dorchester. in 1630. T. J. Egleston and Joseph Battell established an iron-merchandizing business* at 166 South St., New, York, which prospered exceedingly; so much so that when Thomas J. Egleston died, July 12, 1861, his estate had a book value of over $500,000. Since an older brother was expected eventually to take over this business, Thomas, who had a liking for science, went to Yale,, where he completed the regular four-year course in 1854, and then remained another year for advanced work in chemistry under Silliman. I One biographer says he went to Europe, . early in 1-856, on account of his health. It was the custom at that time for wealthy young men to make a tour of Europe after completing their academic education. Whatever the precise reason, he began scientific work at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris but soon trans* It still operating as Egleston Bros. Inc., though no direct descendants of its founder are now living.

Jan 1, 1941

By R. S. Knappen, D. V. Carter

In the states east of the Mississippi River, oil field operations were generally restricted during 1927. Active drilling was chiefly confined to the flood district of Bradford, and to the new areas in western Kentucky, Michigan, and southwestern Indiana. In spite of the general depression, production increased in every state, except Illinois. This unexpected increase is. due to several factors. First, in 1926 there was little flush production outside of Illinois, and the decline 'curves in all states are exceedingly flat. Second, the floods in Bradford, Pennsylvania, and Allegany County, New York, proceeded normally and increased production in those states for the fourth consecutive year. Third, new pools in Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan gave important flush production. Fourth, the general unsatisfactory market forced the operators to scrutinize carefully all their operations and improve efficiency and production in all possible ways. Increases amounted to approximately 2,000,000 bbl. Illinois lost, 900,000 bbl., leaving a net gain for the states east of the Mississippi River amounting to 1,100,000 bbl., or a total 40,268,000 barrels. Pennsylvania and New York In northern Pennsylvania and southern New York, the principal activity centered in the districts where flooding is being used to increase the recovery from the old districts. Once started, the flood cannot be shut off. The producer must drill wells and take his oil on schedule, or irrevocably lose it. Accordingly, in face of an adverse market Bradford and Bolivar operations increased 24 per cent. This area furnished more than 40 per cent. of the oil wells completed east of the Mississippi River last year, although the average initial production was less than 2.5 bbl. Unlike all normal fields, this production increases for several months until water appears in the well. For this reason, these wells will produce much more oil than would appear probable from the statement of initial production. During the year, air or gas pressure was applied to several new properties. Surplus gas is rarely available and air has been more commonly used. Two explosions occurred as a result of recycling air-gas

Jan 1, 1928

By W. J. O'CONNOR

THE production of lead in the United States for the period from 1720 to 1912 was 10,432,668 tons valued at $924,600,000. The average price during this period was 4.4c. a pound, although lead sold at times below 3 cents. We know that in the early days of lead smelting in Montana lead was deliberately lost in the slag and only enough reduced as bullion to collect the silver. This bullion was freighted by ox team to Corinne, Utah, the terminus of the railroad at that time, and shipped to Swansea or Omaha, Neb., for refining. The slag from some of the above mentioned operations contained as much as 15 per cent lead and has since been resmelted. Since 1921 the production of lead has increased each year and the price and tonnage have been as follows :

Jan 1, 1926

By S. G. Valentine

BLAST-FURNACE blowing engines are broadly of two main types: either steam- or gas-driven reciprocating engines, or turbine-driven rotary engines. Some results of experience with a furnace blown by an engine of the latter type may be of sufficient general interest to relate. The first engine of this type was installed at Oxford Furnace, New Jersey, before the writer's connection with this plant, in March, 1910. This furnace uses chiefly New Jersey magnetites and had been in blast seven months on its old engines when the turbo blower was started. It was 80 ft. high by 17 ft. 6 in. bosh and 11 ft. hearth diameter. It is of interest to see from the records what happened when the turbo engine was put to work. But of course, as the old blowing equipment was rather antiquated, consisting of two I. P. Morris engines with air cylinders 72 by 72 in., in good running order, however, it is evident that the comparison between their work and that of the turbo blower cannot be interpreted as being between machines that were respectively of equal excellence as representatives of their types. Still the results were gratifying and -interesting. The records show that, with the old engines blowing 13,630 cu. ft: of air per minute, measured by piston displacement, the furnace was working up about 480 tons of stock per 24 hr. and producing an average of 132 tons per day and a maximum of 166 tons. The rotary blowing engine installed was a General Electric Co. machine, the driving end being a Curtis steam turbine and the air end a six-stage rotary compressor, all running at about 1,500 to 1,600 rev. per minute, and having a capacity of 25,000 cu. ft. of air per minute up to 25 lb. pressure, and equipped with an automatic constant-volume variable-speed governor. After running this blower, for a period equal to that covered above by the old engines, at an average rate of 15,000 cu. ft. of air per minute, the furnace worked up an average of about 592 tons of material and produced an average of 170 tons per day. Thus, on an apparent increase of 10 per cent. in the air volume there was an increase of about 23.5 per cent. in the materials worked up and of about 28.8 per cent. in the product. For the first calendar month's operation of the turbo blower, on an average of 15,040 cu. ft of air per minute, there is

Jan 2, 1914