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By David H. Y. Tang

The reinforcement mechanism of suspension effect is analyzed based on beam-column theory. The equations of the maximum bending stress, deflection and transferred bolt load for the bolted roof strata are derived. In the analysis, the bolt load is assumed to be point load and the horizontal stress is uniformly applied to each stratum. The reinforcement mechanism of friction effect is also analyzed. The major function of roof bolting in this case is to create the friction- al resistance by tensioning the roof bolts, thereby the individual thin strata are "welded" into one single thick stratum. Based on the results, equal spacing of roof bolts is used in the suspension effect while for friction effect, the bolts should be spaced based on equal shear force concept. The design nomographs for the proper bolting pattern and bolt tension of mechanical roof bolting systems are presented for practical applications.

Jan 1, 1984

By Samuel M. Cassidy

The exact date of man's first use of coal is lost in antiquity. The discovery that certain black rock would burn was undoubtedly accidental and probably occurred independently and many times in the world over thousands of years. It is quite likely that these independent discoveries were made when primitive man chanced to build camp fires on exposed ledges of a black rock, then was amazed when it caught fire. The Chinese recorded the use of coal 1100 years before the Christian Era and from the Bible we learn that King Solomon was familiar with coal in what is now Syria. In Wales, there is evidence that the Bronze Age people used coal for funeral pyres, and it is known that the Romans used this fuel. There are other ancient references. So the knowledge that coal would burn, and even some uses of that knowledge, go back thousands of years. However, practical and consistent use of coal seems to date to England in the Middle Ages. COAL IN AMERICA In the Americas, there is evidence here and there of occasional use by the Indians. However, the first recorded discovery of coal, in what is now the US, was by French explorers, who reported an outcrop exposure on the Illinois River in 1679. Following this, other discoveries were made by French and British explorers, but the first recorded actual usage was in Virginia in 1702, where a French settler was granted permission to use coal for his forge. Earliest recorded commercial mining was in 1750, from the James River coalfield near Richmond, VA, a deposit now abandoned. Besides local consumption from this field, shipments were made to Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. During the Revolution this coal was of importance in the manufacture of shot and shell; so important, in fact, that the British sent an expedition in 1781 to destroy the iron works and

Jan 1, 1981

By A. Beeby Thompson

ALTHOUGH the exclusion of foreigners and private owners from participation in the development of the Russian oil fields prevents first-hand information being obtained, both official and private news indicate a growing appreciation of the value of the country's oil resources. Notwithstanding the suppression of that initiative and energy which only ambition can adequately stimulate, the industry is progressing and exports of products are assuming an importance that cannot be disregarded as an economic factor in the world's oil business. The following notes and observations must be regarded mainly as the views of one who has closely followed the fortunes of Russian oil, when considering the changes that have taken place in geological knowledge and oil-field technique, which have so profoundly modified oil-fields methods. Russia is fortunate in having retained the services of a few scientists and technologists whose devotion to science has superseded their personal inclination, and to these few men must be attributed the slow, but nevertheless striking, progress that has been made. The productive oil fields of Russia are centered around the Caspian Sea which, with its connected river system, constitutes such an ideal means of internal distribution for products. From the group of oil fields of which the city of Baku forms a center, oil is pumped to Black town, a suburb of Baku, where all the refineries are situated. The next important group of oil fields is located in the Terek district near Grosny, where refineries are erected and the products are piped or carried by tank cars to Petrovsk for the internal Russian market, or sent to the Black Sea by rail. A third oil field is spread over the province of Uralsk, north of the Caspian Sea, the main port of outlet being Gourief, at the mouth of the River Ural. In Trans-Caspia there are two oil-field centers, one near. Krasnovodsk on Chelekan Island, and one in Central Asia at Ferghana. The product of the former fields is transported to Baku for treatment, while the output of the Turkestan field is refined and consumed locally, mainly by the railway.

Jan 3, 1925

By P. B. Bucky

IN this day of steady progress in the mining industry, especially along mechanical lines, the question of whether to discard present equipment for that of a new type often engages the minds of many officials of mining companies. The rapid strides made from year to year sometimes cause this question to be brought up within a year after new equipment has been purchased and installed. It is a moot question whether a machine that has been purchased last year should be replaced by a new one put on the market this year. As I see it, the reasons for the replacement of present equipment may be summed up as follows: (1) because of increased safety; (2) because of legal regulations; (3) because of increased profits. I think all of us, as engineers, will endeavor to put in as safe equipment as it is possible to devise. The tendency of mining companies in that direction is very gratifying.

Jan 1, 1930

By J. Murray Riddell

The method of treating hazards wherein value is decreased, is cited by R. D. Parks. Quite properly, the theory of probabilities is made use of when multiple hazards are under consideration. E. F. Fitzhugh, Jr. $ deals with the enhancement phase graphically and uses percentage of expectancy as derived by a study of conditions and the selection of a chance factor. It is believed that both of the authors referred to fully recognize the part which human judgment plays, and as coupled with experience, training, and the application of the theory of probabilities; in that respect the composer of this paper is in accord. Within the past year, the task of arriving at a mathematical method for handling the enhancement phase, and, additionally, coupling the negative and positive phases, was explored. In citing the hazard, or negative phase, reference is made to the text by Parks. Types of Items far Consideration On the hazard, or negative, side some of the common items to be considered are: 1. Subsidence and resulting damage. 2. Flo wage of water above that anticipated. 3. Geological. (a) Decline in quality of probable ore, and/or (b) Decline in quantity of probable ore. 4. Depressed economic conditions. 5. Litigation. Similarly, on the enhancement, or positive, side common items to be considered are: 1. Flo wage of water below that estimated. 2. Geological. (a) Increase in quality of probable ore, and/or (b) Increase in quantity of probable ore. 3. Elevated economic conditions. 4. Litigation. 5. Technological advance in the art. Tn all of the above items no consideration is given to placing a value on, or giving consideration to, possibilities. For example, referring to Table 1, the estimated normal present value (Vp) of a property, exclusive of risk consideration, is taken as $100,000. If subsidence affects the usefulness of the shaft, the present value of the property will decrease to $60,000, and it is judged that there is a 1 in 4 chance that the shaft will be impaired;, consequent.ly, if subsidence took place, the present value would be reduced ($100,000-$60,000) $40,000, but since the chance is 1 in 4, the allowable reduction would be only one-fourth of $40,000, or $10,000, or a discount of 10 pct (hazard factor) of the original value; the related safety factor is taken as unity minus 0.10, or 0.90. Thus, the original Vp, $100,000, multiplied by the safety factor ($100,000 X 0.90) gives $90,000, which is the adjusted present value of the property in this single instance. Additionally, there is a water hazard, which, if encountered, will reduce the present value to $85,000. The chance is 1 in 3. Following through with the same reasoning as shown above, the derived safety factor will be 0.95. To arrive at a single multiplying factor which will express the combined risks, the two safety factors are multiplied together, 0.90 X 0.95 = 0.855. That factor when multiplied by the origirial Vp will give the adjusted, and

Jan 1, 1950

By Burdett Loomis

The advantages of gaseous fuel have been too fully set forth during the past few years to need recapitulation. Papers, arguments, and editorials have been issued, in a more or less general way, that would make volumes. Systems have found zealous advocates, and many promises of results that have sounded strangely in the ears of old-fashioned gas-makers, have been born of theory, and have died in the earliest throes of trial; while in some few instances success has demonstrated the value of practical effort. With few exceptions, however, everything attempted or accomplished has tended towards the one end-—the realization of more perfect results than we can

Jan 1, 1891

By L. O. Howard

R. HATCH, Garfield, Utah.-The object of the meeting, I believe, is to determine the proper chemical composition to insure long wear of a ball in a mill, This might also apply to rods. I feel that there is only one way of determining accurately the wearing qualities of balls in mills, and that is by actually wearing out 400 or 500 tons of different kinds of balls. Two things add to the wearing qualities of a ball: (1) the tenacity, with which the particular particles of iron or steel are cemented together; (2) the individual hardness of each particle. My experience is that a ball that has a Brinell of 550 to 650 will give comparatively long life. There is considerable difference of opinion as to the best steel and iron alloys necessary to produce a satisfactory grinding ball. Some favor chrome, some manganese and some nickel. Personally, I believe cast iron alloyed with chrome makes the best ball for small sizes; for large sizes (3 1/2 in. and up) steel alloyed with manganese is best. L. 0. HOWARD, Pullman, Wash.-How would this method apply to lining? A. KissocK, New York, N. Y.-I do not subscribe to that exactly. As I am connected with the Climax Molybdenum Co. you would hardly expect me to. We have been much interested in trying to work out this grinding-ball problem and have spent a great deal of thought and effort on it. As we are associated with the American Metal Co. and have a number of properties of our own, we are in position to try our ideas on ourselves first. We have tried different compositions, but have not done anything very remarkable with them yet, except that we have been able to say that the combination of chrome and molybdenum has given the best wearing ball. Mr. Hatch feels that iron is the best medium for grinding, but since toughness as well as hardness is a factor in wearability we feel that a well made steel is better for this purpose. Another difficulty with cast, or chilled, iron is lack of uniformity from day to day or from heat to heat and the impossibility of producing balls free from blow or shrinkage holes which materially affect their life. If cast iron is made hard it becomes brittle and lacks stretch or toughness. This prevents its use in the larger sizes, as breakage is a serious handicap to efficiency. We have tried hard and brittle balls and softer but very tough balls and have proved that maximum hardness, with sufficient toughness to prevent breakage, is the most important factor in resistance of a steel to abrasion. It is well known that chromium is one of the best hardening agencies for either iron or steel, and molybdenum is recognized as an element capable of introducing toughness. In other words, the proper combination of chromium and molybdenum permits unusual hardness with still sufficient toughness to stand up under severest impact. It is yet too early to give any actual mill results of this new combination and though we are proving our ideas at our own properties we have to depend on others to help us make the data more general and more worth while and would like to get some tests

Jan 1, 1928

By L., Ormsby

DRILLING and blasting practices in the Morenci open pit have undergone considerable modification in recent years. Changes in the character of the ground being mined, modifications of working conditions, and continuous experimentation have been the contributing factors.

Jan 1, 1950

By AIME AIME

AT A meeting of the Boston Local Section of the Institute, on Oct. 3, approval was voted to the work done by its representatives on the Committee opposing the passage of a bill by the, Massachusetts Legislature to license engineers. The report is as follows: The Joint Committee on Licensing of Engineers, which included a Committee of the Boston Society of Civil Engineers and representatives of seven other societies,* submitted to the members of the respective societies, on Jan. 8, 1921, a report in which it was stated that on Jan. 4, 1921, a petition was filed in the Legislature of Massachusetts by the Boston Chapter of the American Association of Engineers accompanied by a bill to provide for the registration of professional engineers and land surveyors. This report also stated that at a meeting of this committee, held on Jan. 7, 1921, it was voted:

Jan 1, 1921

By P. H. Mell

The little village, from which this formation receives its name, is situated on a bluff of the Alabama River, 175 feet above water level. This bluff is a portion of high table land that begins in the western portion of Choctaw and extends through Clarke and Monroe counties. We find points on this ridge more than 100 feet higher than Tuscaloosa, and nearly as high as the Tennessee River at Tuscumbia. Through this the Alabama River cuts its way, exposing a beautiful cross-section of the strata, of which the accompanying sketch may give some idea. The fossils are found about 75 feet below the surface and 100 feet above the level of the river. There are seven distinct strata. 1. The lowest, extending from the water's edge up the bluff 80 feet, is a soft calcareous rock containing about 15 per cent. of carbonate of lime, with occasional specks of mica. In this a few Ostrea, Turritellæ, and Flustræ were found, but so friable as to fall to pieces when handled. 2. Next comes a stratum varying from 2 to 8 feet, consisting of

Jan 1, 1880

By Neil H. Bostick

A specialized electronic data system processes data taken from normal gologic maps and stratigraphic tables to yield predictions of uranium resource location for an area such as much of the United States. Strata underlying specific quadrangle cells of the earth are evaluated for uranium favorability on the basis of selected criteria of lithology, structure, and stratigraphy but not specific past production in the area. Stored data are computer processed to yield volume of likely host rock beneath each cell to a given depth and at a given favorobility level. Results are plotted by machine directly as maps. A specialized and simplified procedure for predicting approximate uranium resources has been devised at Stanford Research Institute (SRI). The prediction is based on general geology beneath specific area cells of the earth in order to provide complete volume coverage; the strata underlying these areas are evaluated for uranium mineral favorability on the basis of a few selected geologic criteria in order to allow rapid data input. In order that the predictions be generally applicable, they are based on geological factors only, not past ore production of a given cell. Since the bulk of U.S. resources are in elastic host rocks, only such strata are considered in this work. This paper describes the structure and some details of the resource system and how it was tested in an area of the western United States.

Jan 1, 1971

By George J. Young

The nature of slimes handled in the treatment of gold- and silver-ores has been discussed in technical literature to a considerable extent. The subject of slime-filtration from the practical worker's stand-point has also received much comment, arid scattered through the literature of the subject are descriptions of many slime-filtration installations. Articles of this nature serve a valuable purpose and assist materially in the design of new and the improvement of old plants. The subject of the physics of slime-filtration has been touched upon to only a slight extent. The underlying principles are worthy of niore intensive study and experimeritation than they have received, and the main purpose of this paper is to present the results of such study and experimental work as will serve to make clear in part at least many of the principles which control the filtration of slime. Nature of Slime. Much has been written concerning an accurate definition of the term "slime," but no comprehensive definition seems to be gcnerally accepted. The reason for this is clear. A slime consists of at least three different substances, each, when separated, possessing distinctly different physical and to a certain extent chemical properties. These substances are extremely fine sand, a colloidal material which may bc and generally is in a coagulated condition, and a colloidal material which is in a non-coagulated condition. Suspending a slime in a relatively large volume of water by shaking and allowing sedimentation to take place, results in the fine sand settling out with comparative rapidity, followed by the coagulated material, which settles niuch more slowly and finally a certain portion remains

Jan 1, 1912

By Keith Leonard Sutherland

THIS paper is a study of the differential flotation of the sulphide minerals in the presence of salts of silver, lead and zinc. In practice, accidental activation due to these salts is more important than their use as reagents to replace copper sulphate. The general method of investigation has been based upon contact tests, the temperature of 35°C. being chosen in conformity with earlier work. Potassium ethyl xanthate and potassium amyl xanthate were selected as collectors and pure sulphide minerals were used. The experimental procedure has been outlined in earlier papers and all solutions were kept carbonate -free.1,4 Contact, or spreading of an air bubble, at a mineral surface indicates the presence of an adsorbed collector film. PURITY OF REAGENTS The xanthates were purified in the usual manner.1 Neither the cyanide nor the sodium hydroxide solutions contained sufficient carbonate to give a precipitate with barium chloride solution. The silver sulphate was prepared from pure silver nitrate by evaporation with concentrated sulphuric acid until there was no evidence of brown fumes. This solution was diluted and the difficultly soluble sulphate washed with water so that unchanged nitrate was dissolved. The resultant crystalline powder was pure white. The lead and zinc salts were prepared by dissolving especially pure lead and zinc in C.P. nitric and sulphuric acid solution and the crystals drained. The standard solutions were checked by titration. It was felt desirable to use the sulphate radical wherever possible, but since lead sulphate was insufficiently soluble for the purpose of the experiments, it was necessary to use some other lead salt. A.R. copper sulphate was used without further purification. RESULTS The results are presented in the accompanying figures; the areas of noncontact (nonflotation) are shaded in Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11; in the remainder they lie to the right of the curve. Zinc Sulphate The curves in Fig. I are to be compared with those for Fig. 2, for which zinc sulphate is absent. This comparison shows that the influence of the zinc ion is usually small. Its influence is more marked, however, for chalcopyrite in the absence of cyanide. The influence of zinc sulphate is also marked for copper-activated sphalerite, for which tests were made only in the absence of cyanide. The results are of importance in the separation of pyrite from copper-activated sphalerite when, zinc sulphate is added in the lead flotation section (p. 204 of ref. I). Sphalerite does not adsorb the collector (i.e., become floatable) under the conditions chosen.

Jan 1, 1942

By Walter R. Crane

PAGE I. Apparatus and Methods.......... 406 1. The Magnetic Circuit...........406 2. Apparatus Employed in the Traction-Method...... 406 a. The Coils............409 b. The Pole-Pieces..........409 3. Methods of Testing Fields Produced by Different Pole.Pices.. ..409 c. Testing with a Search.Coil........410 d. Testing with Iron-Filings and Glass Tube.. .. .410 4. General Forma of Pole-Pieces.........411 e. Flat Poles............411 f. Conical Poles........... 411 g. Spherical Poles...........411 h. Chisel-Edged (Chamfered) Poles.......412 II. Magnetic Fields...........412 5. Methods of Testinq for Magnetic Permeability...... 421 i. The Rod-Method..........423 j. Method Employed in These Experiments......424 k. Difference in the Results of the Two Methods..... 425 l. The Traction-Method.........427 m. Effect of Loosening the Charge.......430 n Corrections...........432 6. Theory.............433 o. Effect of Varying Weight on Tractive Force..... 434 p. Effect of Varying Pole-Distance.......436 q. Effect of Varying Magnetization.......436 T. Effect of Varying Size.. .......437 a. Summary,........... 441 III. The Relative Magnetic Permeability of Various Minerals,. 443 The form and strength of magnetic fields have attracted much attention. especially in connection with the designing of dynamo-electric machinery—an art which has been revolution-

Jan 1, 1902

By J. D. Davis, A. C. Fieldner

The older coal chemist had a much simpler conception of coal than we have today. To him coal was a mineral composed essentially of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, ash, and water, in various proportions. His studies on the constitution of coal were directed along the conventional lines of proximate and ultimate chemical analyses and making deductions from these data without any real appreciation of the fact that coal is a conglomerate of various chemical compounds, including many of the most complex structures known to organic chemistry. The view of the modern coal chemist is well expressed by Franz Fischer,' who says that while proximate and ultimate analyses are important both from the scientific and technical point of view, they tell the chemist no more concerning the number and kinds of chemical compounds that constitute coal than the reader would learn of the contents of a book if told that the printed contents consisted of 15 per cent. of the letter "e," 5 per cent. of the letter "n," 1 per cent. of the letter"g," 4 per cent. of the letter "b," etc. As the reader must have the grouping of letters into words and words into sentences, so the chemist must have the grouping of atoms into molecules and the proportion of each molecular compound in the coal aggregate before he acquires an adequate knowledge of the constitution of coal. Modern investigators2 are laying the foundation of a new chemistry of coal based on the biochemistry of plants and the chemical changes involved in processes of fermentation and decay. As

Jan 1, 1925

By S. C. Lindsay, D. J. I. Evans

With each year that passes hydrometallurgical processes are being more widely used to recover base metals from ores and concentrates. Generally these processes involve liquid-solid separation of metal-bearing liquors from barren residues. This may be done by countercurrent decantation, thickening and filtration, or filtration or centrifuging only. Choice of method is governed by chemical and physical characteristics of the pulps; cost of labor, power, materials, and waste disposal; and even by the amount of capital available when building plans are under way. Since all these controlling factors change with time and location and with technological advances, the separation method must be re-evaluated when new plants or expansion programs are contemplated. At the Sherritt Gordon refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, an ammonia pressure leaching process recovers nickel, copper, and cobalt from the nickel concentrate produced at Lynn Lake, Manitoba.' Pregnant liquors are separated from the barren leach residues in a thickener-filter liquid-solids circuit. The decision to use this type of separation was based on a summation of economic factors during the pilot plant and design stages. Although countercurrent decantation was not incorporated in the refinery flowsheet, the problems solved in thickening the leach residues and the experience gained in operating the commercial plant are pertinent to countercurrent decantation, particularly where it is applied to slow-settling leach slurries or slurries having a relatively high vapor pressure of a valuable, obnoxious, or poisonous vapor.

Jan 1, 1960

By R. E. Head

SOME mixtures of sulphide and oxide ores from the Tintic district in Utah are of a sufficiently good grade to be shipped to the smelter without beneficiation. In mining this type of ore, however, a material tonnage of ore of a similar composition but of lower grade is obtained. It is a question of economics whether such ore should be shipped with a certainty of a small return or concentrated if that would yield a sufficiently increased return to amortize plant construction and upkeep and yield a higher rate of profit than at present. It may be assumed that the tonnage of this borderline ore is constantly increasing and that eventually it will attain such proportions as to justify plans for milling on a relatively large scale. Under existing conditions, the producer of mixed sulphide and oxide ores is not greatly concerned about the physical characteristics of his ore or of its mineralogical complexities, since his contract with the smelter calls for payment on the basis of chemical analysis. When concentration is contemplated an entirely different picture is presented. Percentages of valuable metal content must then be considered in terms of minerals, for it is in the form of minerals that recoveries are made and losses sustained. In describing the performance of a given flotation mill and reagent combination, it may be stated as a generality that a specific percentage recovery of valuable elements is made. Technically, however, the concentrator is really constructed and the reagents are selected to recover the valuable minerals. These considerations must be given prominence in discussing border- line ores from the Tintic district because of their physical characteristics and mineralogical composition. Because of these peculiarities they may be justly termed complex, since their lead, silver, and copper contents are each represented by two or more minerals of different chemical composition and presenting widely divergent physical properties. This paper sets forth the results of a microscopic study of a type of borderline ore from the Tintic district that is now being treated by direct smelting. A

Jan 1, 1938

By William Kent

William Kent, Pi.~t~bIJrQh, Pa.: The steel rnanufac.tnret of this country nlust ever he grateful to Dr. Dudley for his painstaking and conscientious endeavor to estaldish the relation between the chemical analysis and the wearing capcity of steel rails. They tnust thank him for the vast array of $acts he presents, and for having given them sixty-four analyses with which to combat his own conclusions and to establish their own, which are entirely opposite to his. In Dr. Duclley" discussion of his former investigation, at the Pittsburgh meeting, he said, "If you do not like my conclusions, draw your own conclusions." I have studied his last paper as thoroughly as the limited time since I received it would adruit, and have drawn some concluvions which I will first state, and then attempt to demonstrate. Briefly stated, my conclusions are: lst, That as far as these 64 analyses reveal anything of service to railmakers and cotsumera, it is that within the following chemical and physical limits, viz., Carbon,..0.20 to 0.60 Pisovphorue ,..0.026 to 0.146 Silicon,.. 0015 to 0.480 BInnganese.......0.262 to 0 880 Phosl~horus un~ts,..20.3 to 6.72 Bending weight,. 2270 lbs. to 4260 Ibs. Drfl~ctinn,.. 13O to 190° or in other words within the limits of rienrly the whole range of the chenlical and bending testa of these 6-2 mils: the wearing capacity bears no relation at all to mrbon, to phosphorus, to silicon, to mnnganese, to phosphorus units, to bending weight or to deflection or if there is any relation between the wearing capacity and thest! six or sr!ven variables, it is so obscured by the action of other cause or variat~les not yet known, that such relation cannot be expressed by any practical formula. 2d. That the difference in wearing capacity of these 64 rails was not due to unrbon, to phosphorus, to silicou, to manganese, or to anj combinntion of these four elements, but that it was due to some other cause or cornbination of causes, of which Dr. Dudley's whole iuvestigtion furnishes 11s no clue whatever. A few of the nlarry possible causes I lnay name : sulphur, copper, oxide of iron inclossl air or other gases, orerblowing, underblowing, oyrhaiting, undcrIreatinp, too hot-finishing, too cold-finishing, cold-straightening, toc great or too litkle rductiun hlu the rail to the ingot, or the portion

Jan 1, 1881

By Martin T. Broome

INTRODUCTION The Luanshya Mine is situated in the southern part of the Zambian Copperbelt. The copper ore deposit is stratiform, and is preserved in a synclinorium known as the Roan/ Muliashi basin. Roan shaft (formally called No.14 shaft) is located at the eastern end of the syncline and is theoldest of the presently operating hoisting shafts, being sunk during the 1930's. It presently hoists some 45 per- cent of the total Luanshya Mine production. A cross-section through the shaft is shown in figure 1. The ore formation on the south limb is unmined on this section because until recently it was believed that such mining might cause damage to the shaft. This paper examines the influences of adjacent mining on this so-called 'shaft pillar', and describes the mechanics of subsidence of the pillar itself. GEOLOGY AND STRUCTURE Figure 1 shows the general form of folding in the vicinity of Roan shaft. The north and south limbs of the main syncline approach parallelism, with the bottom of the trough fairly smoothly rounded. The axis of the - trough plunges to the west-north-west at 6° - l0°. A brief summary of the major lithologies present in the Roan basin is given in table 1, however, the performance of the overall structure during progressive mining of the ore horizon is controlled by the following features in addition to the mining method. Intraformational Contacts These are characteristically weak in most geological environments. The BC/RL7 contact is an unconformity between moderately weak quartz-biotite schists below (unconfined compressive strength 40 - 80 MN/M 2), and strong quartzites above (U .C .S. 170-200 MN/M2) Subsequent formations are conformable, and planes of weakness are generally the result of contrasting lithology (see below). Weak Interbeds The Rt7, RL6, RL5, RL3 and RU2 horizons consist predominantly of quartzitic rocks, i.e. conglomerates, quartzites and argillites, and as such are generally strong and considered suitable for the positioning of development. Between these however, lie two much weaker dolomitic horizons, the RL4 and RU1. The Rt4 is the main hangingwall aquifer, and must be drained prior to mining. Drainage results in an extremely weak, blocky cavernous horizon which usually requires support if exposed by development. Similarly, the RU1 formation is comprised mainly of dolomites and dolomitic arqillites which are weak and cavernous. In the eastern part of the Roan/

Jan 1, 1981

By T. J. Nowak

The heat flow processes determining the injection and shut-in temperature logs in a water injection well have been analyzed and the theoretical basis for determining the water injectivity profiles from the temperature logs has been presented. Both the injection and the subsequent shut-in logs are necessary to resolve the injection interval into relative water intake strata; the former, to provide an accurate estimation of the thicknesses of the strata, and the latter to indicate the major and minor intake rates into the strata. A procedure is described for estimating the injectivity profile from the temperature logs and is applied to several temperature logs. For a water injection well, a comparison is made of the injectivity profiles obtained from the core analysis, the spinner survey, and the temperature logs. INTRODUCTION In secondary recovery of oil by water flooding, the injectivity profile is needed to obtain diagnostic evaluation of water intake distribution over the injection interval. If the distribution is unfavorable among the various strata, corrective measures can be taken to provide better control. Numerous methods have been developed for determining the injectivity profile from water velocity measurements in well bores. Often, dependence is placed upon core analyses and/or electric logs for estimating the relative water intakes over the injection interval. In many cases, the temperature log method described herein will give results more diagnostic than those obtained through use of the other available methods inasmuch as it is based upon the study of temperature disturbances in and around the well bore as a function of water flow in the well bore and in the formation. This method is the result of analyses of a number of temperature surveys made in water injection wells to determine the point of entry of the water into the formation. The material in this paper is presented in two sections: the first deals with the theoretical study of temperature survey data, and the second deals with the field application. PART I — THEORETICAL TREATMENT OF TEMPERATURE LOG DATA Before discussing the various aspects of heat flow relative to temperature log data, the phenomena that give rise to well bore temperatures — namely, the indigenous formation temperature and the associated rates of heat flow — will be considered. Geothermal Gradient The geothermal gradient is defined as the increment of depth at which the indigenous subsurface temperature increases by l°. It is caused by the continuous flow of heat outward from the interior of the earth. The flow of heat is an equilibrium process between the heat sources, the thermal conductivities of the formations, and the mean surface temperature. Therefore, there is no accumulation of heat energy in the path of heat transmission, and the geothermal gradient for a given formation will depend upon its thermal conductivity.

Jan 1, 1953