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By R. L. Perrine

This paper shows how stability theory can be used to optimize solvent recovery of oil. Application of the theory leads to definition of the limiting conditions required for stable displacement to occur. One of these conditions is that the size of a solvent "slug" must at least equal a prescribed minimum. The criteria to be satisfied are miscibil-ity and stability. Stability implies that no viscous fingering will occur and that mixing will be caused only by a dispersion process. Miscibility implies that complete recovery will be obtained from the swept regions. Thus, for any specified set of reservoir conditions, an optimum use of solvent is defined. INTRODUCTION The early outlook for solvent flooding as a means to increase oil recovery was very favorable. Some laboratory results indicated that a "slug" containing perhaps 2 to 3 per cent of a hydrocarbon pore volume could be successful. However, other data suggested as much as 30 per cent would be required. The difference is of considerable economic importance. A theoretical explanation for these divergent results has been advanced by the author.1,2 Stability theory defines conditions for two distinct flow regimes. In stable displacement, solvent and oil become mixed by a dispersion process, and the solvent requirement is small. On the other hand, unstable displacement can degenerate into viscous fingering. The practical result is a considerable increase in the extent of mixing and, thus, in the solvent required. The present paper shows how to use stability theory to optimize solvent recovery of oil. Oil is usually considered to be displaced by a small amount, or a slug, of solvent. Gas in turn follows solvent. Any fingering will permit contact of nearly solvent-free gas and oil, leading to immiscibility and reduced recovery. Thus, our optimum is defined by two restrictions — stable flow and miscibility. Although an immiscible solvent process could prove more profitable than any miscible process, such processes lie outside the selected definition of an optimum. The usefulness of computations based on the present work will depend on the validity of the general theory. Because the important idealizations required tend to minimize the predicted solvent requirement, the results should state correctly the limiting conditions required. Therefore, theoretical calculations should have practical value. This paper first reviews several principles that result from stability theory. The following section describes use of these ideas in relatively simple systems which symmetry makes appear one-dimensional. Of particular importance is the step-by-step design of 3 stable minimum-solvent slug. The use of stability theory in cases of multi-dimensional displacement is discussed and, finally, suggestions are given for simplified practical application of the theoretical results. PRINCIPLES OF STABILITY THEORY The use of perturbation methods to derive stability conditions has been shown by the author.l The discussion is presented in terms of the fractional concentration of solvent in the single hydrocarbon phase. Quite generally, any disturbance can be represented as a Fourier series, of which only the least stable term need be considered. Denoting this term at time t = 0 by cn,

By Arthur Notman

THE year 1937 started off most hopefully for the metal industry but the prices for nonferrous metals declined after reaching a peak in the first quarter. E. & M. J. average prices for March were: -electrolytic copper f.o.b. refinery for domestic delivery 15.775c., lead 7.19c., and zinc 7.38c. There was the usual talk of shortages and the accompanying peak in the market prices of securities of producing companies. In retrospect it now appears that this was the peak of general security prices as well and of most commodity prices. On Dec. 1 copper was back to 11c., lead to 5c., and zinc to 5.5c. At the same time metal security prices had fallen to less than 40 per cent of their March highs. This has not been a purely domestic phenomenon. Metal prices have followed a similar course in London, in spite of the fact that in all three metals a tariff wall separates the domestic market from the foreign. There is nothing in the record to suggest that planning has so far had any stabilizing effect on prices. It is doubtful whether anybody will he found to claim credit for the planning. Strong evidence supports the conclusion that domestic demand for these and the other metals has been dammed back by the uncertainties confronting those who are considering long term construction commitments. This is particularly true with the public utilities, who are the largest consumers of copper and lead. If the plans were designed to maintain employment rather than to maintain political control of the Government, it would appear that they should be discarded. The course of the steel industry has been followed so closely in the press that no comment is necessary to indicate its similarity.

Jan 1, 1938

By R. E. Wagner

MISSOURI's famous lead area, in what is known as Southeast Missouri, is locally termed the "Lead Belt." These deposits are in the Bonne Terre dolomite of late Cambrian age which has a thickness of nearly 400 ft. Underlying this is the La Motte sandstone which varies in thickness from 0 to 400 ft. The La Motte beds are deposited directly on the ancient erosion surface of Pre-Cambrian porphyries and granites of probably Algonkian age. The buried igneous peaks extend up into the Bonne Terre in several areas within the Lead Belt. Overlying the Bonne Terre are shales and siliceous dolomites of late Cambrian and early Ordovician age. Within the Lead Belt these have a thickness of from 0 to 500 ft. The district is bounded in general on the southwest by the Sims Mountain fault, on the northwest and north by the Big River fault, and on the

Jan 1, 1947

By William Kent

More than twelve years were spent by Wöhler at the instance of the Prussian Government in experimenting upon the resistance of iron and steel to repeated stresses. The results of his experiments are expressed in what is known as Wöhler's law, which is given in the following words in Du Bois's translation of Weyrauch:* " Rupture may be caused not only by a steady load which exceeds the carrying strength, but also by repeated applications of stresses, none of which are equal to the carrying strength. The differences of these stresses are measures of the disturbance of continuity, in so far as by their increase the minimum stress which is still necessary for rupture diminishes." A practical illustration of the meaning of the first portion of this law may be given thus: If 50,000 pounds once applied will just break a bar of iron or steel, a stress very much less than 50,000 pounds will break it if sufficiently often repeated. This is fully confirmed by the experiments of Fairbairn and Spangenberg, as well as by those of Wöhler; and, as is remarked by Weyrauch, it may be considered as a long-known result of common experience. It partially accounts for what Mr. Holley has called the " intrinsically ridiculous factor of safety of six." Another "long-known result of experience"—although this has not, as the writer believes, been investigated by scientific experimenters—is the fact that rupture may be caused by a succession of shocks or impacts, none of which alone would be sufficient to cause it. Wrought iron will crystallize by repeated blows in service and become weaker than cast iron. Iron axles, the piston-rods of steamhammers, and other pieces of metal subject to continuously repeated shocks invariably break after a certain length of service. They have a "life" which is limited. Iron rods in bridges sometimes crystallize and break, although the rods in most of our iron bridges

Jan 1, 1880

By R. W. Raymond

The various modifications of the art of photography have become within the last few years the indispensable allies of every art and science. But, before the introduction of the process which is the subject of this paper, there was, so far as I am aware, no satisfactory means by which certain photographic negatives could be made to yield, without the intervention of the skilled draughtsman, electrotypes suitable for surface-printing. I refer to negatives taken from originals, such as natural objects, or or lithographs, in which the lights and shadows are not represented exclusively by lines and dots, such as can be photo-engraved. The greater usefulness to engineers and manufacturers of electrotypes as compared with lithographs is evident. The electrotypes can be kept indefinitely and used in the production of many thousand copies. They can be duplicated at trifling cost. They can be placed for printing together with the " forms " of type, or included in these, upon an ordinary press. Finally, they are cheap, when made mechanically from a suitable original. Various methods have been adopted for the preparation of such a secondary original (as it might be called) in cases where the first original is unsuitable for photo-engraving. Thus, for instance, portraits have been produced in electrotype from ordinary photographs as follows: A large negative is made of the original (say a carle de visite of a person deceased), and a proof taken, but not " fixed." Over this proof a skilled artist draws the portrait with a pen, producing a picture which resembles a line-engraving. The photographic proof, which has served merely to guide the artist, is now obliterated, and the pen-and-ink drawing is photo-engraved. Electrotypes thus produced often retain the likeness in a wonderful degree, and give spirited and satisfactory pictures. 1 may instance, as examples, which many will recollect, the portraits of our deceased members,

Jan 1, 1887

By A. E. Nehrenberg

R. A. Schmucker, Jr.—The writer wishes to point out that an acicular growth of austenite, similar to that described in the author's paper, was recently observed in an alloy steel of only 0.06 C content. This steel, which represents an 0.07 max C, 1.35 Cr, 0.55 Ni, 0.20 Mo analysis, combines the characteristics of minimum hardness in the annealed condition with maximum hardenability and is therefore suited primarily for cold-hobbing applications. The acicular austenite formation in this steel was observed accidentally during a determination of its Ac1 temperature. The samples used in this investigation represented as-forged bar stock which had been given a preliminary temper at 1300°F. The critical (Ac1) temperature was finally established at 1400 °F. Fig. 15 represents the microstructure of the sample which had been heated at 1450°F for ½ hr, water quenched, and tempered at 600°F for ½ hr (for the purpose of darkening the martensite). It will be observed from the distribution of the darkened areas of martensite that the parent austenite grains formed at 1450°F had grown in an acicular manner and still occupied only a small percentage of the total area. The remainder of the area contains the original equiaxed ferrite grains in which new austenite had as yet scarcely formed. However, the tiny isolated martensitic patches at several points where three or more ferrite grains intersect indicate that small austenite grains had formed and started to grow in an apparently equiaxed fashion. Fig. 16 represents the prior microstructure of an original sample in the as-forged and tempered condition, before it was heated -above the critical temperature. It is probable that there are two kinds of ferrite in this structure: (1) The equiaxed proeutectoid ferrite grains which separated from the austenite when the steel was cooled from the forging temperature, and (2) the acicular ferrite associated with the aggregate of fine carbide which is represented by the patches of

Jan 1, 1951

By D. Hodouin, T. Gelpe

A digital simulator of classification and grinding circuits is used to evaluate the performance of various flowsheets. For a given flows he et configuration, unit process dimensions, and operating conditions, the simulator calculates the steady-state values of the process variables and determines the conditions that meet the required operation criteria for tonnage and product quality. Calculation examples are proposed for the design of wet and dry grinding circuits. The performance of different configurations of cement clinker and sulfide ore grinding flowsheets is evaluated and discussed.

Jan 1, 1986

By C. R. Van Hise

Introduction.............29 The Three Zones of the Lithosphere ..30 Zone of fracture............31 Zone of flowage............ 31 Factors influencing depth at which flowage occurs.. 32 Zone of combined fracture and flowage.. 33 The Water-Content and Openings in Rocks....36 Condition of rater in the zone of fracture.. 36 The openings in rocks...........38 Size and number of openings..... 40 Ore-deposits derived from zone of fracture..45 The source of underground water......... . 47 The cause of the flowage of underground water..47 Belts of underground circulation.. 51 Upper belt of underground circulation.. 51 Lower belt of underground circulation.. .... .52 Capacity of water for work in the lower belt of underground circulation........... 53 Movementsof water in the lower belt of underground circulation. 54 The preferential use by water of large channels.. 60 Physico-Chemical Principles Controlling the Work of Under ground Waters..........62 Chemical action............63 Underground aqueous solutions..64 The relations of solution and temperature..... 65 The relations of solution and pressure..66 Precipitation........... 67 Precipitation by change in temperature..68 Precipitation by change in pressure..69 Precipitation by reactions between aqueous solutions.. . 69 Precipitation by reactions between liquid solutions and solids. 70 Precipitation by reactions between gases and solutions. and solids............71 The General Geological work of Underground Waters.. . 71 Division of the zone of fracture into a belt of weathering and a belt of cementation............72

Jan 1, 1901

By R. Bakish, M. A. Badiali, N. W. Kirshenbaum

One pound of ultra pul-e molybdenum has been produced containing both metallic and nonmetallic impuvities close to or less than the limits of detection. various purification methods were investigated; althouglz the use of move than one purification step was consideved, it was found that a single, caefully-controlled sublimation of MoCl5 yielded a highly puvified product without prior treatment or recourse to repeated sublimation. Hydrogen reduction of MoC1, to metal was attempted at atmospheric pressure; however, reduced pressure was necessary to obtain substantial yields. The tubular deposits of metal were consolidated into bulk fovm by electron beam melting undev high vacuum yielding a very low gas content. Boblems involved in monitoring the puvity of these materials and analytical results obtained are also presented. THE pronounced effect of even trace amounts of impurities upon fundamental properties of materials is well known to metallurgists and solid-state physicists. Consequently, groups interested in basic studies of metals have in recent years immensely stimulated the preparation and production of numerous ultra-pure metals. Increased demand by scientists for these high purity materials has necessitated development of facilities to prepare them in significant quantities; the procedures reported here were devised to produce significant quantities of ultra-pure molybdenum. Previous work performed in the field of vapor phase purification and hydrogen reduction of several other refractory metal chlorides had demonstrated valuable techniques applicable to molybdenum.' Various purification and reduction steps were individually investigated. Those procedures which showed the most favorable results with respect both to attainment of high purity and to ease of operation were then incorporated in the process utilized to produce the metal.' STARTING MATERIALS It is well known that because of differences in volatility, chlorides may be separated by fractional distillation. It was presumed that distillation of molybdenum pentachloride offered a simple and straightforward method of purification due to its relatively low boiling point. Alternatively, sublimation of the solid chloride also appeared feasible since MoC15 has both a reasonably narrow temperature range in which it exists as a liquid (a property typical of refractory metal chlorides) and a low enthalpy of sublimation. Pertinent thermochemical data of MoC15 are given in Table I. It should be noted that this compound must be handled with care as it is extremely hygroscopic. Anhydrous MoC15 was obtained from the A Metal Climax Co. METHODS OF PURIFYING MOLYBDENUM PENTACHLORIDE Distillation. It was expected that distillation methods, while affording an efficient purification, would prove simple to control and would have a higher production rate than sublimation processes. Also considered was the possibility of effecting a high degree of purification by using both these volatilization methods in conjunction—possibly a distillation followed by sublimation of the solidified condensate. Distillation of MoC15 was investigated using a single stage distillation column packed with chemically resistant glass beads. Heating coils were wound around the column and collection tube (condenser). As-received MoCl5 was charged into a flask connected with the column using a side loading arm under an argon flow. After the column and condenser were brought to about 270" and 210°C, respectively, the apparatus was lowered until the flask was fully immersed in a constant temperature fused salt bath maintained at about 285 °C. Distillation was continued for about 10 or 15 min until 50 to 70 g of distillate had been collected. Analyses of these distillations indicated that several elements, e.g., Cu, Fe, Ni, Cr, and Mg, were lowered in quantity although not all were removed to the same extent. The occurrence of Na, B, Si, and A1 in the distillates appeared to be due to contamination, possibly from corrosion of the pyrex glass. An improved distillation system of larger capacity and longer distilling column was built. Improvements were effected in lowering the amounts of such impurities as B, Mn, Ni, Na, Mg, Cr, Cu, and Fe. These studies were pursued concomitantly with efforts to purify by sublimation; it was subsequently found that although improvements in purity were obtained by distillation, sublimation processes were simpler to control and effected a high degree of purity.

Jan 1, 1963

By G. S. Tint, M. Herman, V. V. Damiano

Dislocation arrays and substructures were studied in cadmium doped zinc crystals using a newly devised etching technique. Cadmium precipitates delineating the dislocations were revealed by etching a surface closely parallel to the (0001) slip plane. Cinephotomicrography of the continuous etching process revealed the three-dimensional aspects of dislocations in the bulk crystal. Dislocation etch patterns were studied in both deformed and annealed crystals after suitable aging at room temperature. The effect of annealing was evidenced by a rearrangement of the dislocations into low-angle boundaries and hexagonal networks. ETCH pit techniques have been used extensively to study dislocations in both deformed and annealed bulk metal crystals. Ideally one hopes to obtain a one-to-one correspondence between the etch pits and the points of emergence of the dislocations at the surface. One then attempts to deduce the way in which dislocations are arranged in the bulk crystal from the arrangement of etch pits on the surface. It is clear that one can obtain only limited information of the dislocation configurations inside the crystal from etch pit studies of single surfaces. Considerably more information is obtained if one is able to follow the course of the dislocations through the crystal using progressive etching technique. Techniques of this sort were used by Gilmanl to study dislocations on the slip planes of NaCl crystals and by Damiano and Tint2 to study dislocation arrangement in zinc crystals grown from the melt. The present paper makes use of a technique first described by Tint and Damiano3 to observe and continuously record the dislocation structures which appear while a crystal surface was being progressively etched. Studies were made on cleaved (0001) surfaces to reveal the dislocations along their length on the surface closely parallel to the slip plane. The technique for revealing segments of dislocations along their length by etching is well known. Wilsdorf and Kuhlmann-wilsdorf4 revealed disloca- tions along their length in aluminum containing a few percent copper, when precipitates segregated along the dislocations. The technique was used by Low and Guard5 to study dislocation configurations on the slip plane in Fe-Si alloys containing carbon. In the present work the technique was applied to zinc containing cadmium since it was shown by Gil-man6 that a cadmium-rich phase could be made to precipitate from supersaturated solutions along dislocations in zinc. Segments of dislocations delineated by the precipitates were revealed by etching a surface prepared by cleaving the crystal. The three-dimensional nature of dislocations and substructures was thus studied from the cinephotomicro-graphic record of the continuous etching process. EXPERIMENTAL Single crystals of zinc containing the order of 0.1 pct Cd were prepared by slowly lowering a graphite crucible containing the melt through a temperature gradient of 15°C per cm at a rate of 1.5 X 10-3 cm per sec. "As grown" crystals were aged for periods of 1 month at room temperature, then cleaved in liquid nitrogen, and etched according to the procedure used by Gilman.' The etchant containing 32 g of CrO3, 6 g of hydrated Na2SO3 in 100 ml of water behaved as a chemical polish for zinc and etch pits were produced at the site of precipitates or inclusions. After the precipitates or inclusions were removed from the surface, the etch pits left behind were eventually polished smooth. This behavior enabled one to continuously observe the surface while the specimen was immersed in the etchant. Best results were obtained when the specimen surface was vertical and the reaction products of polishing were continuously removed by gravitational convection. Some crystals were heavily deformed in excess of 25 pct strain, others were lightly deformed the order of a few pct by compression such that the deformation occurred essentially by basal glide. Some crystals were etched immediately after deformation, others were allowed to age at room temperature for several weeks prior to etching. Heavily deformed crystals were annealed at various temperatures and etched on the cleavage plane immediately after annealing, others were allowed to age at room temperature for several weeks prior to etching. The etched structures of deformed and annealed structures were studied. Similar experiments were conducted on 99.9999 pct pure zone refined Tadanac zinc crystals which

Jan 1, 1963

By T. K. Perkins, W. W. Krech

Jan 1, 1969

By Raphael D. Schilz, Michael F. Dunn, Edward D. Thimons, Francis S. Kendorski

During a mine fire or other emergency, it may be desirable to reverse the air flow in order to provide an escapeway or to control a fire. Also, in colder areas, the air flow may be reversed to prevent ice build-ups. When reversing main mine fans, the operator usually does not know what operating characteristics of flow and pressure to expect. Laboratory testing of vane axial main mine fans has been completed in order to establish forward and reverse performance characteristics under controlled conditions, with the results presented here. Preliminary tests under field conditions have also been conducted. The data obtained suggest that reverse performance characteristics are dependent upon the blade angle and the hub to tip ratio. There is also evidence that reverse performance can he predicted for a family of blade angles in a given hub to tip ratio. In general, the air quantity delivered by the fan is 30% to 60% less in reverse than when operating in the normal forward mode.

Jan 1, 1982

By S. K. Kawatra

In order to take full advantage of the use of manipulatable variables to effectively control the response of coal flotation circuits to disturbances and to optimize circuit performance, the effects of each manipulatable variable must be understood with respect to the mechanisms responsible for particle recovery. This paper pays particular attention to the critical role of the froth phase and its effect on circuit behavior and control and emphasizes that in order to optimize the separation of coal from gangue by flotation it is necessary to consider particle behavior in both the pulp and in the froth while developing a control strategy. Data obtained from the extensive sampling of the flotation circuits in two coal preparation plants are used to illustrate this concept; by showing first the effects of reagent addition levels on the mechanisms responsible for particle recovery and second how this information can be used for control strategy development.

Jan 1, 1984

By Sidney Wise

WHILE the installation of mine bulkheads to retain water under high pressure is y no means a rarity, the following points Which arose in the designing and placing of two of these bulkheads may be of interest: The Hibernia magnetite mine, located about 40 miles west of New York, in the State-of New Jersey, is partly filled with water. This mine is located on an ore lens, the outcrop of which is over a mile long. The ore has been mined from this lens from the surface to a depth of more than 1,500 ft. It was held desirable to- separate the old workings from the new, and to allow the former to fill to the 850-ft. level. Two weak places existed between the new and old workings below this level: namely, a temporary bulkhead on the 10th level and a rock bulkhead of indeterminate thickness on the 16th level. When the matter of allowing the old workings to fill was investigated, the fact was developed that if these old workings were filled, the bulkhead on the 10th level would be subjected to a water pressure of about 50 lb. per square inch, and that 200 lb. per square inch would act on the 16th-level bulkhead. As the above-mentioned barriers were not deemed of sufficient strength to permit of these pressures, it became necessary to design and install new bulkheads. Design As the 16th-level bulkhead was required to withstand a pressure of 200 lb. per square inch, it presented some difficulties. A careful consideration of the various types of mine dams now in use led to the adoption of a design of the form of a truncated wedge. In this, the pressure side of the dam is of greater area than the back, so that the resultant action is similar to driving the wedge. By cutting generous skewbacks in the walls, roof, and floor, this type in reality becomes an invisible arch. The wedge feature tends to compress the materials in the bulkhead, thereby adding to its imperviousness.

Jan 8, 1914

By Alexander Anderson

In many oil fields a great variation in the production of adjoining wells has long been observed, and a certain proportion of dry holes, situated between prolific producers, has been regarded as normal without thorough investigation as to cause. Similarly, an occasional prolific producer has been found in a part of a field where all other holes have proven disappointing. Adjoining wells which showed an unreasonable difference in production have been surveyed, and the bottom of the poorest producer has been found to have lost sufficient vertical depth, through its drift, to diminish seriously its penetration in the oil zone. Again, the bottom of the good producer has been found to he more favorably situated by its migration up structure. Surveying of wells in California fields has shown many instances where the dry hole has drifted far off the structure to such a degree that no amount of deepening could ever convert it into an oil well. In other cases, edge wells have been found to drift into the field. At this time, in California, the surveying of oil wells is beginning to he accepted as a routine part of operating procedure. Some operators are surveying all of their new wells and, in some of the recently discovered fields, this practice is providing invaluable assistance in methodical development. The information that has been obtained from the surveying of many wells has convinced most operators that it pays to give careful attention to the drilling of wells. Chews are now usually cautioned to avoid reckless competition with each other. Whereas, formerly, certain companies demanded a large footage from their drillers, they now issue orders that a very moderate speed in drilling shall he maintained and that every care be taken to avoid practices likely to cause excessive deviation of the hole frorn vertical. As a result of these new instructions to drilling crews, a distinct decline in the average drift of the wells drilled by these operators has taken place and fewer dry holes are being drilled from good locations. To the petroleum engineer and the geologist, oil-well surveys provide the necessary data required for the construction of the correct cross-

Jan 1, 1929

By 0. H. ESCHHOZ

HARMON F. FISHER,* New York, N. Y. Mr. Eschholz discusses the particular case of large precipitators installed in connection with large metallurgical operations, and receiving their high-potential energy through the conversion of alternating current to direct current by means of the mechanical rectifier. He classifies these mechanical rectifier installations, according to source of power, as follows: System A.-Applications utilizing individual alternating-current generators, either single-phase or polyphase, installed exclusively for furnishing energy to one or more transformer-rectifier-precipitator units. System. B.-Applications having no special alternating-current generators, but utilizing the existing alternating-current industrial or lighting mains to supply the energy to one or more transformer-rectifier-precipitator units. System C.-Applications receiving their energy from high-tension power circuits supplied directly to potential regulator-rectifier-precipitator units. I do not intend here to enter upon a detailed technical discussion of the foregoing classes, which would really interest only the manufacturers of electrical apparatus and the electrical engineers. A brief general discussion follows:

Jan 11, 1918

By J. E. Drury, W. M. Byers, E. J. Lynch

Measurements made with starch ~~~~s indicate that the Presence of starch serves to depress the streaming potential of a clay mud system. Measurements with pure starch slurries show that the addition of NaCl or CaO reduces the streaming potential significantly. The addition of NaOH, however, causes only a minor reduction in potential even when there are large changes in mud resistivity. INTRODUCTION In their excellent study of the streaming potential, Hill and Anderson' proposed that the presence of conductive solids within the filter medium will reduce the generated potential. This theory was demonstrated with measurements on shaly sandstone cores having various "b" factors; the cores with the higher negative b factors showed markedly lower potentials. (The factor b was originally defined by Hill and Milburn2 in an expression relating the resistivity of a shaly sandstone to the resistivity of the interstitial water: log F, = log F,, + b (log 100R,)'. 'he factor b, therefore, is a measure of the contribution of the conductive solids to the total conductivity of the sample. It has been found experimentally to be directly related to the amount of chemically exchangeable ion per unit pore volume.) In the logical extension of this hypothesis to the streaming potential created by filtration through mud cakes, they suggested that the presence of nonconductive starch in a drilling mud would have the opposite effect; i.e., it would cause the streaming POtential to be increased. The high streaming potentials that they observed with lime muds were attributed to this cause. A cross-plot of some of their results which are relevant to this discussion is given in Fig. 1. The lime-mud curves and untreated-mud curve are taken from curves given in their paper. The gyp-mud line was estimated from their statement that the measured streaming potential for gyp muds in the range of 1.5 to 2.0 ohm-m was approximately 18 mv/1,000 psi. These gyp-mud potentials were the lowest that they reported for any of the bentonitic-clay muds, and were the only ones which were less than the untreated-mud potentials. This very low streaming potential of gyp muds has also been observed in field studies.' By way of comparison, a U. of Texas publication4 gives the approxi-ate compositions for lime and gyp muds shown in Table 1. These materials are added to a bentonitic-clay mud base. It can be seen that both of these muds contain significant amounts of calcium salts and that the gyp mud has the higher concentration of starch. It would appear from this and from the data shown in Fig. 1 that starch may well be the cause of a streaming-potential reduction, rather than a potential increase. EXPERIMENTAL A series of streaming-potential experiments has been performed using a cell of a design similar to that reported by Wyllie.5 Calomel electrodes were used in both the mud slurry and the filtrate. Pressure in the cell was generated with high-pressure nitrogen. The primary objective of the investigation was to determine the effect of starch on the potential. Five different slurries were made which ranged in composition from untreated ben-tonitic mud (Baroid Aquagel) to a pure starch suspension (Baroid Im-permex). The intermediate slurries were prepared by mixing together a 9-lb/bbl clay mud with a 12-lb/bbl starch suspension in the ratios 1:3, 1:1 and 3:1. When starch was used alone, it was necessary to use an 18-Ib/bbl mixture, since leaner mixtures would not form a suitable filter cake. The clay mud used in the experiments was aged for three months before use. In addition to this series of measurements on the starch-clay mud mixtures, other experiments were performed to determine the effect on the potential of the absolute starch and Aquagel concentration, and the effect of adding various chemicals. RESULTS The effect of starch on the streaming potential is shown clcarly in Fig 2. Increasing percentages of starch resulted in n continually decreasing

By E. R. Brownscombe, Francis Collins

The pressure distribution in a reservoir producing an incompressible fluid by radial flow in a horizontal structure is a simple logarithmic function' used daily by reservoir engineers. The assumption of an incompressible liquid is equivalent to assuming that pressure is maintained constant at the well radius and at some external "radius of drainage," or, in other words, that the entire flow into the well passes across the external radius. In most cases a well is surrounded by other wells draining adjoining areas so that the "radius of drainage" is not a line of constant pressure with flow equal to the flow into the well but rather a contour of zero pressure gradient across which no flow occurs, production being due to the expansion of the liquid within the area. The radial flow steady state pressure distribution for this case does not seem to be extensively used despite the fact that the mathematical analysis has been given in detail' and the results are simple and generally applicable. 'The object of this discussion is to develop this result from a physical rather than a mathematical viewpoint, thereby aiding intuition in judging circumstances to which it may be applicable. If the production rate at a well in an unsaturated reservoir is maintained constant while no flow occurs across the outer radius a steady state will soon be reached in which the flow rate or pressure gradient is constant with time at all points in the reservoir. To preserve such a condition it is necessary that the pressure decline at the same rate at all points in the reservoir, that is, the curves of pressure versus radial distance at successive times are all parallel. Then each unit volume of oil is expanding at the same rate and contributing an equal share to the production. The rate of flow q across any circle r is thus proportional to the volume of the reservoir between r and the external radius re, or q = qw (I-r2/r2e) ......(1) where q, is the production from the well and it is assumed that rw is very small compared with re. This equation can be combined with the differential form of Darcy's law for radial flow, 2phkr dp q =—— ........(2) aµß dr ( where q is not a constant as in the incompressible flow case but is a function of r given by Equation (1). If Equation (1) is substituted in Equation (2) the variables p and r can be separated and the result integrated to obtain the pressure distribution p = pw +--------In------------- 2pkh[ rw 2re2] ......(3) This equation differs from the incompressible case only in the addition of the term proportional to the square of the radius

Jan 1, 1950

By R. W. Brown, J. L. Loper

The process of sand erosion has been harnessed to perform a useful function—the directed perforating of oilfield tubular goods and formation rock. In this process the sand is carried by a liquid medium and the resrrlting slurry is forced through a nozzle at an extren~ely high velocity. Upon impingement against casing or formation, the fast-moving sand particles erode a perforalion in the casing followed by cavity formation in the medium behind the casing. The many factors influencing the rate and extent of this penetration are inherently difficult to establish experimentally. Equations describing submerged jet behavior have been applied to these conditions. The following paper develops the equations for predicting the performance of the perforating jet. INTRODUCTION The cutting power of high-velocity sand has been well known in the petroleum industry for many years. Sand carried by a high-velocity gas stream causes severe erosion. This effect has been the cause of numerous production problems in certain areas. It was logical to expect that this phenomenon would one day be adapted to useful industrial applications. Development of mobile, high-pressure, high-horsepower pumping equipment in the last decade has made this possible. The sand erosion process involves pumping a fluid containing abrasive solids through a set of nozzles at a high differential pressure (2,000 to 4,000 psi). The pressure conversion into kinetic energy imparts high velocity to the sand particles which, upon impact with the formation face or casing wall, erode the material in an organized pattern. This paper attempts to establish the effects of the various parameters and to predict the performance and limitations of the process. The following factors will be considered: nozzle differential pressure, perforation size, sand concentration, nozzle stand-off distance and backpressure. In general, this discussion is presented along theoretical lines and is substantiated by field results and data where reliable field data exists. POWER EQUATIONS The penetration rate of a high-velocity hydraulic jet is proportional to the power or energy of the jet at the point in quesion. The power of the submerged jet will decrease with distance (or penetration) into the cavity created by the jet. As the cavity is extended into the formation, the power of the jet diminishes to a value equal to the threshold cutting power of the particular formation which is defiined as the lowest power level at which the formation will be abraded by the jet. Obviously, when this point is reached, no further cutting of the formation can occur. It is assumed that this power level for a particular formation is a function of the hardness of that formation. The following equation can be written for the hydraulic process of formation abrasion.

By Harry Power

THE relative merits of air and natural gas as propulsive agents in pressure drive operations have been discussed for a number of years. When air or gas is introduced into the sand, various factors lead the operator to the selection of what he believes to be the proper propelling medium; but when the question of relative drive effect is raised, several physical and chemical premises must be taken into consideration in arriving at a conclusion as to the superiority of one medium over the other. Dow and Calkins1 and Beecher and Parkhurst2 have contributed fundamental experimental work on the effect of dissolved gas in lowering the viscosity and surface tension of crude oil. Herold3 and Tickell4 have indicated that whatever type of reservoir control obtains, gas plays other important parts in the movement of oil towards the well, namely: 1. The propulsive and expansive force of the gas. 2. The "Jamin effect," or resistance to the movement of oil in a porous media due to the formation of gas bubbles. When quantitative studies are made, parallel conditions must be selected whereby we may say definitely whether air is superior to gas as a driving medium, or vice versa. Examples of similar conditions are not easy to find in the field. However, in the laboratory we can make determinations which may lead to general conclusions when applied to the field. The- experimental and research work described here was started at the laboratories of the University of California in January, 1927, and completed in private laboratories at Tulsa, Okla., in February, 1928. The apparatus used was designed especially for the work.

Jan 1, 1928