Search Documents

By Michel T. Halbouty

The area for which oil and gas development is reported for 1938 in this paper is larger than that covered by the report for 1937, in that besides Duval, Jim Hogg, McMullen, Starr, Webb and Zapata Counties, comprising the Laredo district, this paper also includes the South Corpus Christi district, which is composed of the following counties: San Patricio, Nueces, Jim Wells, Kleberg, Kenedy, Brooks, Willacy, Hidalgo and Cameron, all heretofore included in A.I.M.E. Gulf Coast reports. In the map, Fig. 1, the area known as South Texas is represented by the counties south of the heavy black line. Production in the South Corpus Christi district, which covers an area that extends inland for 50 miles and follows the coast line, is primarily in zones ranging from the Catahoula, through the Frio sands, into the Vicksburg horizon. General exploration is done mainly with geophysics because in this district production is directly dependent upon structural conditions. In the Laredo district most of the production is from sand lenses; therefore, because these shallow sand lenses represent old shore lines which are monoclinic in character, the most satisfactory method of exploration in the Laredo district is drilling. This type of production centers around Duval County and follows a northeast-southwest trend along the Mirando district. Although drilling operations showed a decline from the preceding year, 1938 was highly successful as far as new discoveries and developments were concerned, and results of the year's operations should have an important effect on the near future trend of exploration and drilling. Besides the discovery of several new fields and many new sands in established fields, 1938 saw the discovery of a new Vicksburg sand trend and the first marine drilling off the South Texas Gulf Coast. Many new fields were discovered during the year, but only a few were subjected to an extensive drilling program. Several already established fields, especially in the Laredo district, received a large amount of drilling as new sands and extensions enlarged the producing areas, a

Jan 1, 1939

By Shiou-Chuan Sun

THIS paper presents the design and operation of a frothmeter capable of measuring the frothing characteristics of pine oils and other frothing reagents. The experimental data show that the frothability of pine oil is governed by: 1-rate of aeration, 2-time of aeration, 3-height of liquid column, 4-chemical composition of pine oil, 5-pH value of solution, 6-temperature of, solution, and 7-concentration of pine oil in solution. The effect of mineral particles on the behavior of froth also was studied, and the results can be found in a separate paper.1 The results also show that the relative frothabilities of pine oils in the frothmeter generally correlate with those in actual flotation, provided that other factors are kept constant. In addition to pine oils, the other well-established flotation frothers were tested, and the results are included. In this paper, compressed air frothing is the frothing process performed by means of purified compressed air, whereas sucked air frothing is the frothing process accomplished by purified air sucked into the glass cylinder by a vacuum system. The term vacuum frothing denotes that froth was formed by degassing of the air-saturated liquid under a closed vacuum system. Apparatus The frothmeter, shown in Fig. 1, is capable of reproducibly measuring the volume and persistence of froth as well as the volume of air bubbles entrapped in the liquid and is capable of being used for compressed air frothing, sucked air frothing, and vacuum frothing. Fig. la shows that for compressed air frothing, the apparatus consists of an airflow regulating system, 1-3; a purifying and drying system, 4-8; a standardized flowmeter to measure the rate of airflow from zero to 500 cc per sec, 9; and a graduated glass cylinder, 13; equipped with an air regulating stopcock, 10; an air chamber, 11; and a fritted glass disk to produce froth, 12. The fritted glass disk, 5 cm in diam and 0.3 cm thick, has an average pore diameter of 85 to 145 microns. The pyrex glass cylinder has a uniform ID of 5.588 cm and an effective height of 63 cm. The inside cross-sectional area of the glass cylinder was calculated to be 24.53 sq cm, or 3.8 sq in. For sucked air frothing, Fig. lb shows that the apparatus for compressed air frothing is used again, with the following modifications: 1-compressed air and its regulating system, 1-3, are eliminated; and 2-a vacuum system, 16, equipped with a vapor trap, 15, and a vacuum manometer, 17, is added. The vacuum system can be .either a water aspirator or a laboratory vacuum pump. Any desired rate of airflow can be drawn into the glass cylinder, 13, by adjusting the opening of the air regulating stopcock, 10. The sucked air stream is cleaned by the purifing and drying system, 4-8, before entering the glass cylinder, 13. When this setup is used for vacuum frothing, the air regulating stopcock is closed. The frothmeter has been used for almost 3 years and has proved to give reproducible results, as illustrated in Table I. With a magnifying glass and suitable illumination, the frothmeter also can be used to study the attachment of air bubbles to coarse mineral particles.2 Experimental Procedures Except where otherwise stated, the data presented were established by means of the compressed air method. The volume and persistence of froth were recorded respectively at the end of 4 and 6 min of aeration at a constant rate of airflow of 29.3 cc per sec which is equivalent to 71.6 cc per sq cm per min, or 462.6 cc per sq in. per min. The aqueous solution for each test, containing 1000 cc of distilled water and 19.2 ± 0.5 mg frothing reagent, was adjusted to a pH of 6.9 ± 0.2. The volume of froth is expressed as cubic centimeter per square centimeter and is equivalent to the height of the froth column (the distance between the bottom and the meniscus of the froth). The volume of froth was obtained by multiplying the height of froth by the cross-sectional area of the glass cylinder, 24.53 sq cm. Before each test, the glass cylinder, 13, was cleaned thoroughly with jets of tap water, ethyl alcohol, tap water, cleaning solution, tap water, and finally distilled water. The cylinder with stopcock,

Jan 1, 1952

By Herman Dykstra, R. L. Parsons

A numerical method for solving partial differential equations in steady state fluid flow is described. This method, known as the "relaxation method," has two advantages over analytical methods: (1) practically any problem can be solved, and (2) a solution can be obtained quickly. A disadvautage is that the solution is not general. The method is applied to core analysis and relative permeability measurement to calculate constriction effects and to calculate the true pressure drop measured by a center tap in a Hassler type relative permeability apparatus. Further applications are suggested. INTRODUCTION Many problems in fluid flow cannot be solved analytically because of the nature of the boundary conditions. For many problems, however. an exact answer is not necessary because boundary conditions are not exactly defined or the parameters describing the porous medium are not accurately known. The relaxation method can be used to obtain an approximate answer easily and quickly for the flow of incompressible fluids in porous media. The method can also be used for other types of problems, such as determining the stress in a shaft under load. or the temperature distribution during steady state heat flow. In this discussion only calculations concerned with the flow of fluids in porous media will be considered. The method was introduced by R. V. Southwell in 1935.' THEORY The treatment given here follows that given by Enimons.2 Consider a porous medium to be replaced entirely by a net of tubes of equal length and uniform cross-sectional area as shown in part in Fig. 1. Assume that the net of tubes behaves exactly like the porous medium which it replaces; that is, the net can be made fine enough to reproduce exactly the porous medium. Assume also that Darcy's Law can be used to calculate the flow from one point to another point through these tubes. The flow from point 1 to point 0 is KA . ------ P-P) .......(11 where a is the distance between points: K is the "permeability" of a tube; A is the cross-sectional area of a tube; is the viscosity of the liquid in the porous medium; and (P1 — P0) is the pressure difference between point 1 and point 0. In like manner the flow can be calculated from points 2, 3, and 4 to point 0. The net flow into point 0 is Qo = KA/µa (P1 + P2 + P33 + P4-4P0) . . (2) MB For an incompressible fluid the net flow into point 0 will be zero or, Q. = 0. This says that at point 0 fluid is neither being accumulated nor depleted. 'Therefore. P1 + P2 + P3 + P4 - 4P0 = 0 .... (3) . If. now. with specified boundary conditions. the pressure i.; known at a finite number of points in a given region, as at the points shown in Fig. 1, Equation (3) will be satisfied at every point. If, on the other hand, the pressure is not known, the pressure can be guessed at these points. Then. unless the guess is perfect. Equation (3) will not be satisfied at all of the points. When Equatiol~ (3,) is not satisfietl. let d = P1 + I?, + P, + P, - If' .,....(4) where 6 is an apparent error and is called the residual at point 0. Equation (4) shows how much the pressure guess is in error at point 0 with respect to the surrounding points. A positive residual means that the pressure is too low, and a negative residual means that the pressure is too high. To bring the residual, 6. to zero in order to satisfy Equation (3). it is necessary to make changes in the pressure guesses. Equation (4) shows that a +1 change in Po will change the residual at point 0 by -4. A +1 change in the pressure at any of the four surrounding points will change the residual at point 0 by +l. Thus it can be seen that a change at any point will affect the residual at that point and the four surrounding points. By changing the pressure from point to point, all of the residuals can eventually be brought nearly to zero and the problem will be solved. This procedure is the essence of relaxation methods and is used to relax the residuals so that Equation (3) is satisfied at every point. The procedure can be most easily explained in detail by solving a simple problem. as Southwell says, "To explain every detail of a practical technique is to risk an appearance of complexity and difficulty which may repel the reader. A

Jan 1, 1951

By R. L. Parsons, Herman Dykstra

A numerical method for solving partial differential equations in steady state fluid flow is described. This method, known as the "relaxation method," has two advantages over analytical methods: (1) practically any problem can be solved, and (2) a solution can be obtained quickly. A disadvautage is that the solution is not general. The method is applied to core analysis and relative permeability measurement to calculate constriction effects and to calculate the true pressure drop measured by a center tap in a Hassler type relative permeability apparatus. Further applications are suggested. INTRODUCTION Many problems in fluid flow cannot be solved analytically because of the nature of the boundary conditions. For many problems, however. an exact answer is not necessary because boundary conditions are not exactly defined or the parameters describing the porous medium are not accurately known. The relaxation method can be used to obtain an approximate answer easily and quickly for the flow of incompressible fluids in porous media. The method can also be used for other types of problems, such as determining the stress in a shaft under load. or the temperature distribution during steady state heat flow. In this discussion only calculations concerned with the flow of fluids in porous media will be considered. The method was introduced by R. V. Southwell in 1935.' THEORY The treatment given here follows that given by Enimons.2 Consider a porous medium to be replaced entirely by a net of tubes of equal length and uniform cross-sectional area as shown in part in Fig. 1. Assume that the net of tubes behaves exactly like the porous medium which it replaces; that is, the net can be made fine enough to reproduce exactly the porous medium. Assume also that Darcy's Law can be used to calculate the flow from one point to another point through these tubes. The flow from point 1 to point 0 is KA . ------ P-P) .......(11 where a is the distance between points: K is the "permeability" of a tube; A is the cross-sectional area of a tube; is the viscosity of the liquid in the porous medium; and (P1 — P0) is the pressure difference between point 1 and point 0. In like manner the flow can be calculated from points 2, 3, and 4 to point 0. The net flow into point 0 is Qo = KA/µa (P1 + P2 + P33 + P4-4P0) . . (2) MB For an incompressible fluid the net flow into point 0 will be zero or, Q. = 0. This says that at point 0 fluid is neither being accumulated nor depleted. 'Therefore. P1 + P2 + P3 + P4 - 4P0 = 0 .... (3) . If. now. with specified boundary conditions. the pressure i.; known at a finite number of points in a given region, as at the points shown in Fig. 1, Equation (3) will be satisfied at every point. If, on the other hand, the pressure is not known, the pressure can be guessed at these points. Then. unless the guess is perfect. Equation (3) will not be satisfied at all of the points. When Equatiol~ (3,) is not satisfietl. let d = P1 + I?, + P, + P, - If' .,....(4) where 6 is an apparent error and is called the residual at point 0. Equation (4) shows how much the pressure guess is in error at point 0 with respect to the surrounding points. A positive residual means that the pressure is too low, and a negative residual means that the pressure is too high. To bring the residual, 6. to zero in order to satisfy Equation (3). it is necessary to make changes in the pressure guesses. Equation (4) shows that a +1 change in Po will change the residual at point 0 by -4. A +1 change in the pressure at any of the four surrounding points will change the residual at point 0 by +l. Thus it can be seen that a change at any point will affect the residual at that point and the four surrounding points. By changing the pressure from point to point, all of the residuals can eventually be brought nearly to zero and the problem will be solved. This procedure is the essence of relaxation methods and is used to relax the residuals so that Equation (3) is satisfied at every point. The procedure can be most easily explained in detail by solving a simple problem. as Southwell says, "To explain every detail of a practical technique is to risk an appearance of complexity and difficulty which may repel the reader. A

Jan 1, 1951

By H. Rush Spedden, A. M. Gaudin

Although the number of minerals that are ferromagnetic‡ or highly paramagnetic is strictly limited, it has been known for some time that many minerals have slight but supposedly characteristic magnetic susceptibilities. With the exception of pyrrhotite, however, sulphides have been thought nonmagnetic. A new magnetic separator has been made available recently in limited quantity to research laboratories. This device, the Frantz Isodynamic Separator, has been used for the separation of various non-sulphides from each other. Its application to the separation of sulphides, however, does not seem to have been reported. In the Richards Mineral Dressing Laboratories, the success achieved through the use of this device in separating associated sulphides has been so startling as to lead us to believe that it constitutes a magnificent adjunct to heavy-liquid separation and to quantitative mineragraphy as a tool for the mineral investigator. The separator (Fig. I) consists of: 1. A powerful magnet, the strength of which can be adjusted by, means of a rheostat; 2. A vibrating chute of nonmagnetic metal on which the mineral to be separated is made to flow (Fig. 2); 3. A feed bin and adjustable feeder; 4. Receptacles for the collection of products; 5. Means for changing, setting, and accurately reading the two slopes of the chute; viz., the cross slope and longitudinal slope. The separator is made operative by the special shape of its pole pieces, which ensures a strongly converging field. It is said by the makers of the machine that the pole pieces apply a constant mechanical force to a particle of given susceptibility, regardless of its position in the operating space of the separators." Susceptible particles, therefore, behave as though of lower specific gravity than under ordinary circumstances. This effect, combined with the slopes of the chute and the action of the vibrator, causes a stratification not unlike thai obtainable on a shaking table. The chute is of rectangular cross section, and shallow; it is broadened toward the discharge end and divided longitudinally by a partition into two compartments that lead to the collecting receptacles. Although the separator probably can be used to make separations at fairly coarse

Jan 1, 1943

By H. Rush Spedden, A. M. Gaudin

Although the number of minerals that are ferromagnetic‡ or highly paramagnetic is strictly limited, it has been known for some time that many minerals have slight but supposedly characteristic magnetic susceptibilities. With the exception of pyrrhotite, however, sulphides have been thought nonmagnetic. A new magnetic separator has been made available recently in limited quantity to research laboratories. This device, the Frantz Isodynamic Separator, has been used for the separation of various non-sulphides from each other. Its application to the separation of sulphides, however, does not seem to have been reported. In the Richards Mineral Dressing Laboratories, the success achieved through the use of this device in separating associated sulphides has been so startling as to lead us to believe that it constitutes a magnificent adjunct to heavy-liquid separation and to quantitative mineragraphy as a tool for the mineral investigator. The separator (Fig. I) consists of: 1. A powerful magnet, the strength of which can be adjusted by, means of a rheostat; 2. A vibrating chute of nonmagnetic metal on which the mineral to be separated is made to flow (Fig. 2); 3. A feed bin and adjustable feeder; 4. Receptacles for the collection of products; 5. Means for changing, setting, and accurately reading the two slopes of the chute; viz., the cross slope and longitudinal slope. The separator is made operative by the special shape of its pole pieces, which ensures a strongly converging field. It is said by the makers of the machine that the pole pieces apply a constant mechanical force to a particle of given susceptibility, regardless of its position in the operating space of the separators." Susceptible particles, therefore, behave as though of lower specific gravity than under ordinary circumstances. This effect, combined with the slopes of the chute and the action of the vibrator, causes a stratification not unlike thai obtainable on a shaking table. The chute is of rectangular cross section, and shallow; it is broadened toward the discharge end and divided longitudinally by a partition into two compartments that lead to the collecting receptacles. Although the separator probably can be used to make separations at fairly coarse

Jan 1, 1943

By S. Stutz

Three years ago, at the Philadelphia meeting, in February, 1881, the author had the pleasure of presenting to the Institute a paper on coal-washing machinery.* Since that time many new machines, with important improvements and labor-saving apparatus, have been introduced, the construction and description of which may be of interest to some of the members of the Institute. By referring to the above-mentioned paper, and more especially to Plate IV., representing a vertical section of a coal-washer, it will be noticed that the bottom of the plunger-box B is made level or horizontal, and supports a spring-buffer F for the purpose of limiting the down-stroke of the plunger P and receiving the impacts of the latter. Althongh the construction of the box, in view of these impacts, received from the start the proper attention (the bottom of the chamber 3 being made of three thicknesses of 3-inch planks, resting on 6-inch sqnare columns), yet, through careless working of the machinery, without the necessary water in the box, it proved in several instances not strong enough, and had to be changed. To prevent such interruptions in future, it became necessary to devise some means for relieving the machine from the impacts of the plunger altogether. This has been accomplished by the arrangement shown upon Plate I. of this paper, representing a new waesher; and not only has the difficulty been overcome, but also sorne other advantages have been obtained, as will be seen further on. The compartments +, A' of the separator-box have been set upon heavy cast-iron brackets B, leaving sufficient space below the bottom for the buffer F and the sediment-valve K. By means of the plunger-rod 6 passing through the stuffing-box s to the outside, and provided at its lower end with a shoe a, the impacts of the plunger are now transmitted from the buffer F directly to the foundation. At the same time a better guide for the plunger P in its up and down movement has been obtained. The plunger of the former machine had only the guide I and the yoke Y, whereas the new machine has an additional guide in the stuffing-box s, thus preventing wear and friction of the plunger against the lining of the box. Further-

Jan 1, 1884

By C. K. Leith

In discussing the subject of mineral exploration, one is tempted to resort to reminiscence. I could tell of many missed opportunities, but I propose rather to outline certain changes in the methods and conditions of exploration which present new problems to the mineral explorers of today. Our subject might appropriately be called The Passing of the Old Time Prospector. The first question that presents itself is whether the job of mineral exploration is not already pretty well finished. The current market surplus of most minerals and the present overcapacity for production, with their attendant financial troubles, naturally raise the question whether the accumulation of reserves has not gone far enough for the present, and whether further exploration should not be left to some future time when consumption shall have caught up. Unquestionably we have gone far in the conquest of our physical environment, and the fear of shortage of minerals is less than formerly. For the time being there is no great need of further supplies for the world as a whole of many of the great essential minerals, coal, oil, copper, zinc, silver, and others. For a few minerals, such as gold and lead, the known future world supplies are not yet large enough. For all minerals the distribution is so unequal among the nations that exploration will continue in deficient areas in the attempt to make nations self-supporting.

Jan 1, 1932

By Northcutt Ely, Charles F. Wheatley

This chapter deals with the systems of laws by which governments regulate the exploration for and production of the minerals within their jurisdictions. It is a summary, restricted by necessary space limitations, of material assembled by the author for a forthcoming publication of the United States Bureau of Mines, "Summary of Mining and Petroleum Laws of the World." (Information Circular, 1959.) The present study is organized in three parts, dealing with (1) the historical background of these legal systems, (2) laws of the United States, and (3) laws of other countries of the world. The reader's attention is invited to the acknowledgments at the end of the chapter, which inadequately express the appreciation due those who have assisted in the collection of this material. Part I. Historical Development of Major Western Systems of Land Tenancy with Respect to the Ownership and Control of Minerals The use of metals in primitive societies was largely confined to the manufacture of weapons for self-preservation. The ruler's control over copper, then brass, then iron, was essential to maintenance of his own ascendancy at home and his group's position against neighbors who had access to similar metals. Ancient societies were thus characterized by the ruling group's ownership of minerals and metals. The Egyptian civilization, which emerged in the fourth millenium B.C. upon the agricultural subjugation of the lower valley of the Nile, was responsible for extensive development of the upper valley as a source of mineral wealth. The production of gold during the height of that civilization has been estimated at $30,000,000 per year, thus equaling the early placers of California and Australia. The mines of Egypt were the property of the Pharaohs and were controlled at their direction. Greek mining developed a different scheme of land tenancy which more closely resembled modem concepts. Development of mineral resources was

Jan 1, 1959

By T. D. Yensen

In the investigation of the magnetic properties of iron-nickel alloys,' it was found necessary in order to make the alloys forgeable, or malleable, to add small quantities of some other element. Iron-nickel alloys have been known for nearly a century, but have been made in commercial quantities only since 1885. Their remarkable mechanical properties were disclosed by Riley in 1889 and from that time on a large amount, of research work has been done both to discover new properties and to correlate the results obtained.2 Lately the Bureau of Standards has collected the published data in a special circular" giving in compact form an account of the properties of the iron-nickel alloys. It also contains a clear historical sketch of the development as well as a selected bibliography. The chief difficulty with the development of iron-nickel alloys was that the "pure" alloys do not forge readily. The addition of small amounts of manganese, however, made the alloys forgeable, and manganese has therefore come to be regarded as a necessary constituent of nickel steels. The present paper shows to what extent manganese is needed for various nickel contents and also what is the effect of other alloying elements on the forgeability. It also touches upon the cause of forgeability but refers to other sources for more exhaustive treatises on the subject. The alloys were prepared by melting electrolytic iron and electrolytic nickel with or without other alloying elements in the desired proportions in a magnesia crucible in a vacuum furnace under a pressure of 1 mm. mercury. The ingots, weighing about 2 kg., were allowed to cool in vacuo. If pipes or blowholes were present, the ingots were cut in such

Jan 1, 1922

By T. D. Yensen

In the investigation of the magnetic properties of iron-nickel alloys,' it was found necessary in order to make the alloys forgeable, or malleable, to add small quantities of some other element. Iron-nickel alloys have been known for nearly a century, but have been made in commercial quantities only since 1885. Their remarkable mechanical properties were disclosed by Riley in 1889 and from that time on a large amount, of research work has been done both to discover new properties and to correlate the results obtained.2 Lately the Bureau of Standards has collected the published data in a special circular" giving in compact form an account of the properties of the iron-nickel alloys. It also contains a clear historical sketch of the development as well as a selected bibliography. The chief difficulty with the development of iron-nickel alloys was that the "pure" alloys do not forge readily. The addition of small amounts of manganese, however, made the alloys forgeable, and manganese has therefore come to be regarded as a necessary constituent of nickel steels. The present paper shows to what extent manganese is needed for various nickel contents and also what is the effect of other alloying elements on the forgeability. It also touches upon the cause of forgeability but refers to other sources for more exhaustive treatises on the subject. The alloys were prepared by melting electrolytic iron and electrolytic nickel with or without other alloying elements in the desired proportions in a magnesia crucible in a vacuum furnace under a pressure of 1 mm. mercury. The ingots, weighing about 2 kg., were allowed to cool in vacuo. If pipes or blowholes were present, the ingots were cut in such

Jan 1, 1922

By S. J. Rothman, L. T. Lloyd

S. J. Rothman and L. T. Lloyd (Argonne National Laboratory)— Hagel's paperz0 discusses the question of the mechanism for self-diffusion in bcc transition metals. Recent work21"23 has led us to agree with him in reabandoning the ring mechanism in favor of a defect mechanism, most likely vacancies. On the other hand, we think that Hagel's attempt to group together all self-diffusion in bcc transition metals is wrong. We prefer the scheme of Peart, Graham, and omlin," who separate them into two groups. One group contains the anomalously behaved metals P titanium,', y uranium, and perhaps zirconim.' The other group contains a iron," this alloy was held at 1800°C for 2 hr before quenching, its structure was all a. B. C. Giessen, I. Rump, and N. J. Grant (Authors' reply)—We very much appreciate the discussion by Deardorff and Kato regarding the a to /3 transformation temperature of hafnium. In the W-Hf program, as well as in a current study of the system Cr-Hf, standard precautions were exercised against contamination, including vacua of less than 10"5 mm Hg and a weight control check of all specimens to insure an impurity rise of less than 100 ppm. Following receipt of the above discussion, a revision was made in the annealing process. Arc-cast specimens were etched with a 10 pct HF-90 pct HNO solution until 1 mm of surface, including a possible oxide film, was removed. Annealing was done in a hafnium container which provided a long diffusion path for gaseous contaminants. Finally, the heat treating time was shortened. Structural changes were noted to occur quite slowly. A 99.5 at. pct Hf alloy showed 70 pct /3 after 30 min at 1700°C and was 100 pct /3 after 10 min at 1715°C. After 24 hr at 1740C, the alloy was found to be 10 pct/3. This change is due to contamination; it was estimated that it corresponds to an increase of 60°C in the transformation temperature over a 24 hr period. The corresponding change in 30 rnin would be slight. Using the same hafnium as in the above publication, and three new alloys at 98, 99, and 99.5 at. pct Hf, the transformation temperature was indicated to be 1715" 15°C. Since this hafnium contained 4.4 at. pct Zr, a correction of 40 5C, based on an assumed approximately linear transformation temperature curve, must be made for pure hafnium. This yields a value of 1755 20°C in good agreement with Deardorff and Kato's value. Because the slope of the boundary is small, this permits a good extrapolation, and we regard the W-Hf alloys as well suited to check the Hf transformation temperature. niobirn,'' and molybdenum,22 whose activation energies correlate with the melting temperature and whose Do values follow Zener's predictions.28 We have no quarrel with Hagel's placing chromium into the second group; we disagree with his interpreting our data to make uranium fit into that group. Hagel considers that the measurements of self-diffusion in uranium below about 950°C represent combined volume and grain boundary diffusion. This contention is based on the curvature of the penetration plot for our 891°C run,4 which also has a nearly straight line plot of log c vs x. Hagel has extrapolated these characteristics to our 803.5C run and fitted his Arrhenius plot for self-diffusion in y uranium to our four highest temperature points only. We think this is wrong for the following reasons.

Jan 1, 1963

By R. W. Raymond

The death of Professor Blake removes the oldest of American economic geologists and mining engineers, and deprives this Institute of one of its earliest and most illustrious members. To many of us it brings a personal loss also, the loss of a friend. William Phipps Blake was born June 21, 1826, in New York City. His father, Elihu Blake, was a surgeon-dentist of eminence, a direct descendant of William -Blake, who settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony about 1630. He was prs pared for college at private schools in New York, and entered the Sheffield School of Yale, where he was graduated as Ph.B. in the chemical course, class of 1852, the first graduating-class of the institution. In the same year he became chemist and mineralogist of the New Jersey Zinc Co., and chemist of chemical works at Baltimore, Md. In 1853, he started the Department of Mineralogy of the World's Fair at New York City. In 1854, 1855 and 1856, he was mineralogist and geologist of the United States Pacific Railroad Surveys of Willianlson, Pope, and Whipple, and for the War Department at

Jan 1, 1911

By Denis G. Maxwell

INTRODUCTION It is my intention in this paper to deal with gold, uranium, diamonds, platinum, manganese, chrome, vanadium and heavy mineral sands. These are the most important strategic minerals produced by the Republic of South Africa which are not covered in other sessions of this program. In each case I have high- lighted the statistics and peculiar advantages which combine to make South Africa a vital source of these minerals. Before proceeding to give individual attention to these minerals I believe it would be useful to define what I mean by 'strategic'. The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines strategic in the context of materials as 'essential for war'. However it is commonly used in a much broader sense than this (often, in fact, very loosely) and I prefer to define it as 'concerned with the acquisition and maintenance of power, whether economic, political or military.' A VITAL SOURCE In dealing with the individual minerals I have quoted statistics which are contained in Tables 1, 2 and 3. Table 1 clearly shows the absolute size of the South African mineral industry. However, it can also be used to demonstrate the importance of the industry to the South African economy if compared with the GNP in 1980 of about R60 billion. Table 4 illustrates clearly how important South Africa is as a supplier of these minerals to most of the important industrialized countries of the Western World. Gold If anyone had any doubts about the inclusion of gold in a list of strategic minerals I am sure that the above definition of 'strategic' will convince them that it certainly belongs there. Similarly no one is likely to have any doubt about the fact that South Africa is a vital source of supply. Tables 2 and 3 show that in 1980 we had 51% of the world's reserves and accounted for 55% of world production. The figures for the Western World are considerably higher. The only other major producer, of course, is Russia, with small but significant production in the Pacific Rim area coming from Australia, Canada, Latin America, Papua New Guinea, Philippines and the U.S. All South African mine gold production is shipped in bullion form containing about 88% gold and 9% silver to the Rand Refinery which is a modern refinery with large scale units capable of refining half a ton of bullion at a time. The Refinery is equipped to produce standard 'good delivery' gold as well as 9999 gold and 999 silver. The Refinery also produces the 22 karat blanks which are, used by the South African Mint to produce Kruger Rands. It goes without saying that the South African gold mining industry leads the world in all aspects of deep-level, narrow-reef mining technology. The industry's metallurgists, too, have a record of tenacious and continuing efforts to improve extraction to the level of the present finely honed efficient process used on all the modern mines. Uranium In 1980 South Africa had 14% of the uranium reserves of the Western World and accounted for 14% of production. In view of the paucity of data I am not in a position to estimate figures for the total world. All the other major sources of uranium in the Western World are situated around the Pacific Rim, with the U.S. and Canada already being major suppliers and accounting for 38% and 17% of Western World production in 1980. Australian production at the time was small but they have very large reserves and production is already rising rapidly. The U.S., Canada and Australia account respectively for 22%, 19% and 29% of the uranium reserves of the Western World. South Africa has been a major producer continuously for 30 years. Nearly all the uranium produced, amounting to about 115 000 tons up to the end of 1981, was a by-product or co-product of gold extraction. During that time the industry has frequently led the world in technological innovation, and has established a reputation as a reliable producer of a consistent, high-grade product. In the latter respect, it is helped by the fact that production is marketed by one company, Nuclear Fuels Corporation, which also blends, dries and calcines the product from the individual mines and samples and assays it before shipping. Diamonds Diamonds are the rock on which the South African mineral industry is founded. The discovery of diamonds in 1866 gave rise to the first major mineral industry in the country and the profits from diamond mining helped to finance the gold mining industry 20 years later. Although now overshadowed by gold, diamonds are still very important in the overall picture of mineral production and exports, as can be seen in Table 1. There are really three separate diamond markets - gem, natural industrial, and synthetic - and, to be meaningful, statistics should be provided separately. Unfortunately separate figures are not available. The figures in Tables 2 and 3 show that, for gem and natural industrial together, South Africa ranks third in the world in production and second in reserves. South Africa is a major producer of synthetics and probably ranks second in the world after the U.S. Recently, of course, Australia was the scene of a major diamond discovery and will soon become the only

Jan 1, 1982

By Cloyd M. Smith

A FEW years ago, the Ventilation Committee established the practice of presenting one topic each year for discussion at the annual meeting. The practice has met good response on the part of committee members and I suggest that it be continued. The topic chosen for this year, "Underground Anemometry," is a topic which has bothered me for more than 20 years. It seems to me that the coal industry is content to rely on slipshod methods for measuring the rate of flow of air underground, so I prefaced my discussional charge to committee members with the statement that I regard air measurements made in the usual way, with hand held anemometer, as no good. Agreements and disagreements came in from more than a dozen engineers, some of whom are with operating companies, coal and metal; some with manufacturers; others with government agencies.

Jan 1, 1949

Andrew Carnegie, America's best-known ironmaster and philanthropist, died at his home at Lenox, Mass., Monday, Aug. 11, after a three days' illness. A pioneer in the steel industry, he introduced into this .country the Bessemer process And formed the plans that have resulted in this country's supremacy in the steel markets of the world. Known throughout the world for his, gifts, he is also known to engineers as the donor of the home of their National Societies and as the founder of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, of Pittsburgh. For many years, also, he was an honorary member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and of the Engineers Club of New York. What he considered the secret, of his success is shown by the epitaph he wrote for himself, "Here lies a man who knew how to enlist in his service better men than himself." He was buried Thursday, Aug. 14, in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Tarry-town, N. Y., the funeral services being private, in accordance with his wish.

Jan 9, 1919

By C. M. Wayman, G. R. Srinivasan

A metallographic study of the isothermal products formed between 750° and 285°C was made in an Fe-7.9 wt pct Cr-1.11 wt pct C alloy, and a time-temperature-transformation diagram was determined. The study shows that the austenite decomposes into three different products: pearlite above 540°C, ferrite and carbide between 540° and 300°C, and lenticular bainite below 300°C. No upper bainite forms in this alloy. The results are discussed in terms of carbon diffusion models for upper bainite formation. AUSTENITE transforms into several products depending on the temperature, composition, and rate of cooling, and the various transformation products have been a source of controversy for a long time. Since the classical study of Davenport and ~ain' extensive work has been carried out. The present study concerns the isothermal transformations in an alloy which was used for a detailed investigation of bainite crystallography and provides information supplementary to the work of Lyman and Troiano who studied austenite decomposition in steels containing 1 pct C and varying amounts of chromium. Their work showed that increasing the amount of chromium in high-carbon steels had the effect of depressing the B, temperature and of shifting the TTT curves to longer times and lower temperatures. They further found that if the chromium content is increased in a 1 pct steel to about 9 pct no bainite would form even after a period of 100 days. However, a preliminary investigation by the present authors showed that bainite plates do form in steels containing about 8 pct Cr and 1 pct C. In view of this and some results from a thin-foil electron microscope investigation of the bainite formed in the present alloy: it was considered desirable to investigate the other isothermal products as well. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The alloy used in the present investigation was obtained from a triply vacuum-melted ingot prepared from high-purity materials. Chemical analysis for the alloy verified the composition to be Fe-7.9 wt pct Cr-1.11 wt pct C. Metallographic observations were made on i by i by « in. specimens which were aus-tenitized at 12 50°C for 50 to 60 hr in evacuated quartz capsules and then water-quenched. Since the M, temperature for this alloy is below room temperature, the homogenizing treatment produced a completely austenitic structure consisting of very coarse austenite grains (ASTM #0-1). Several samples of the austenitized specimens were metallographically prepared and observed for any proeutectoid carbide separation. It was found that all the carbon was in solution. The water-quenched specimens were upquenched and given isothermal treatments at temperatures between 285" and 750°C for varying periods in molten salt or lead baths. The specimens were then water-quenched, and those showing less than 5 pct transformation were used for plotting the beginning of the austenite decomposition. To ensure the removal of the disturbed layer, the mechanically prepared specimens were electropolished in a 1:6 HzS04, CHSOH solution for 10 to 15 sec at 20 v. Final polishing was done with a vibratory polisher using 0.05-p alumina. Various etchants including nital, ferric chloride, and hot ferricyanide (Murakami's reagent) were used to bring out details in the different transformation products. The ferricyanide etch was used whenever the preferential etching of carbides was desired.

Jan 1, 1969

R. Trimble, Pittsburg, Pa (communication to the Secretary) : There are in the proposed specifications only two points on which I wish to comment at this time.

Jan 1, 1902

By Oliver Bowles

DISCUSSIONS of trade and commerce are generally more comprehensive today than in the past; the problems are approached with a vision unrestricted by national boundaries, and broad enough to comprise the entire world. The extent to which the limited viewpoint that has characterized past ages is yielding to an economy of world-wide scope is exemplified by the Atlantic Charter which blazes a trail in the direction of trade principles that aim to preserve the interest of each individual country in the commonwealth of nations. Its fourth article promulgated the principle that all nations should have access on equal terms to the trade and to the raw materials of the world which may be needed for their economic prosperity. Future developments in reciprocal international trade may have some effect upon the flow of nonmetallic minerals but such effects are not likely to be great because tariffs and trade policies have not affected that flow profoundly in the past. Nevertheless conditions may change and new problems may arise demanding important decisions. Sudden changes are not to be expected, but rather an orderly evolution in which national interests will merit due consideration in establishing broader policies.

Jan 1, 1945

By E. Gaujot

IN connection with the question of coal waste and economy in mining, we would call the attention of those interested to an apparatus invented by M. Dernencourt, Superintendent of the Anzin Division of the Anzin Coal Company, North of France. This apparatus is known in France and Belgium under the name of prop screw jack (vis botte), and has been used with good results in the above-named countries for some years past. M. Ponson gives, in his " Traité de l'exploitation des Mines," a description of it (page 533), but as the description given is old, the work not widely known in this country, and as some valuable improvements have been made since, I thought it might be useful to give a description of it, having seen it in operation in 1867, while in Europe to attend the great Exposition, and on a scientific tour to the mining districts of France, Germany, Belgium, and Italy. The prop screw jack is composed of the following pieces: I. The body or column B, Fig. 4 [Plate (1)], of oak or yellow pine, sawed square, the bark taken off, and any length, proportionate to the vein. The smallest are 10 inches diameter at the base, and 9 inches at the top, the height being from 12 to 15 inches less than the size of the vein. In the axis of this column, and at the top end, is a cylindrical opening or hole, C, 2 3/4 inches diameter, 10 inches deep, for the screw, S. II. Two wrought-iron rings, R R, to strengthen the two extremities of the column ; the rings must be put on hot. III. A cast-iron washer, E, with hole in centre a little larger than the screw, to be put on the top of the column, and on which the nut is to rest; the top side of this washer must be faced on the lathe, also the bottom of the nut, to prevent friction. IV. The screw, S, having a total length of 12 inches and a diameter of 21/2 inches (for very high veins this diameter may be in¬creased to 3 inches), and has on its top a wrought-iron plate, T,

Jan 1, 1873