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Although Australia is the world's second biggest producer of iron ore, the last few years have not been easy for companies in Western Australia's Pilbara region (see map) where more than 90% of the nation's iron ore is produced. For at least two years, the industry has been plagued by dwindling markets abroad, production-crippling strikes at home, skyrocketing costs (well above the official 13% annual inflation rate), an acute shortage of investment capital, increasingly ferocious competition from foreign iron ore producers-and, as if all this weren't enough, by an over-valued currency that has caused incalculable damage not only to iron ore producers but to the entire mining industry of Australia. (This last problem was mitigated less than two months ago, on November 28, 1976, when the Australian dollar was devalued by a whopping 17 1/2%.)

Jan 1, 1977

By R. A. Meussner, C. T. Fujii

Chromium solution in wustite depresses the oxygen activity in a nonideal manner and expands the lattice slightly. Gravimetric measurements of the equilibrium compositions of wustite containing 0.00 to 1.38 wt pct Cr define the oxygen potential (CO2-CO atm) and the limits of the phase field at 1000°C. These data extrapolate to a maximum solubility of 2 wt pct Cr. The lattice parameter data, room-temperature measurements of quenched samples, differ significantly from those in the literature. Both pure and chromium wus-tites contract at uniform and equal rates as the oxygen content (metal deficit) increases. The a. US metal deficit relationships are straight lines showing none of the curvature previously reported. At constant metal deficit, the a. expands by 0.002? on alloying with 0.4 to 0.5 wt pct Cr but is insensitive to further chromium additions: a small expansion rather than a marked contraction. These results require a modification of the accepted alloying mechanism. IN the high-temperature oxidation of Fe-Cr alloys in Ha-H,and CO2-CO atmospheres the vapor transfer of oxygen from the continuous wustite outer scale to the porous inner scale/alloy interface sustains the high oxidation rates.1"3 The driving force for this transport is the difference in the oxygen activity of the outer wustite and that at the inner scale/alloy interface. In pure CO2, as well as in CO2-CO atmospheres, carburization of the alloy accompanies this oxidation. Current efforts to evaluate the parameters controlling this carburization have shown that the process is not simple; i.e., the carbon concentration in the alloy initially increases rapidly, reaches a maximum, and then decreases slowly as the oxidation time is extended. This is the same pattern reported by McCoy for the more complex oxidation-carburization of stainless steels and an Fe-Cr alloy in CO2 at lower temperatures.4 These changes in the carburization process occur while the overall oxidation rate and the lattice parameters of the scale layers remain constant. If this invariance of the lattice parameter is assumed to indicate a constant scale composition and thus a constant oxygen potential, the carburization results are not easily explained. Electron microprobe traces across the thickness of these outer scales, however, have revealed distinct chromium gradients penetrating 10 to 50 µ from the inner surface where the chromium concentrations were estimated at a few tenths percent. The variation of the chromium cmcentration on the inner surface of the scale, and the resulting change of the oxygen activity, during the oxidation process is considered to be important in defining the carburization process. Thus, to gain an understanding of the complex oxidation-carburization proc- ess, it was necessary to measure the properties of wustite containing known amounts of chromium (chromium wustite). Although the general features of the Fe-Cr-0 equilibrium diagram between 900° and 1300°C have been fairly well established by Richards and white: Wood-house and White,6 Seybolt,7 and Katsura and Muan,8 there have been no detailed studies of the limits of the chromium wustite phase field or the properties of these alloyed wustites. The recent results of a limited study of chromium wustite by Levin and wagner9 indicate that more than 0.67 wt pct Cr is soluble in wustite above 850°C and that this alloying is accompanied by a substantial lattice contraction. This change in the lattice parameter was not evident in the X-ray diffraction patterns of wustite layers from the oxidation experiments;1,3 the lines were sharp even though a chromium gradient existed in the scale. The present paper describes gravimetric equilibrium experiments which delineate the boundaries of the chromium wustite single-phase field at 1000°C and define the changes in the oxygen activity and the lattice parameter of wustite as functions of chromium and oxygen contents. The lattice parameter data of chromium wustite obtained from these equilibrium and special quenching experiments differ considerably from those reported.9 Those for pure wustite show significant differences from the widely accepted data of Jette and Foote.10 Since the causes of these differences are not easily assignable, and since the literature contains many sets of data on wustite which if not in conflict are at best not in harmony, the experimental procedures are discussed in the present paper. EXPERIMENTAL Oxide Preparation. The specimens used in these studies were porous pellets compacted from high-purity (Fe,Cr)2O3 or Fe2O3 powders. These powders were prepared from electrolytic chromium (99.8 pct purity) and electrolytic iron purified by consumable-electrode, vacuum arc-melting processing (299.9 pct purity).11 The oxides were produced by standard analytical procedures: solution of the metals in acids (HC1, then HNO3 added), coprecipitation of the hydroxides (NHaOH), and filtering and washing these precipitates. Initial dehydration of the coprecipitated hydroxides was done in a porcelain evaporating dish heated by a Meker-type burner, final dehydration by firing in a recrystallized alumina crucible at 1000" to 1050°C for 20 hr in an electrically heated furnace. Spectrographic analysis detected the following impurities: silicon, 0.01 pct or less; aluminum, 0.001 pct to trace; manganese and copper, 0.0001 pct to none. Each of these levels is at least one order of magnitude lower than in commercially available CP grade ferric and chromic oxides. Fluorescence analy-

Jan 1, 1969

By Stanley M. Moos, Richard Addison

Introduction The Pueblo Viejo gold-silver mine, located in the Dominican Republic, started production in early 1974 processing ores averaging 4 g/t gold and 20 g/t silver at a rate of 7.25 kt/d. The ore milled is a silicified siltstone with average work index of about 8 that occurs as an extensive oxide capping of a primary sulfide ore body. The sulfide ores are refractory to conventional treatment process and extensive research work is now in progress to develop a treatment process for them. The ore deposit has a long history, having been mined by the indigenous Arawak Indians for some time in the early sixteenth century prior to the arrival of the Spanish, and then by the Spaniards. In the early 1950s, Italian engineers attempted to process the sulfide ores. Mining by the Indians and Spanish was abandoned because of low grade and little coarse gold in the oxide ores and by the Italians because of the refractory nature of the sulfide ore. In 1969, Rosario Resources geologists discovered that there existed sufficient reserves of oxide ore for a viable mining operation and the plant was designed, built, and brought into production.

Jan 1, 1981

By John A. Graves

Anaconda's Jackpile-Paguate mine, located between Albuquerque and Grants, N.M., is situated at an elevation of 6000 ft in a semi-arid desert region. The original Jackpile deposit was discovered by Anaconda air and ground exploration parties in Nov. 1951. A large percentage of the uranium mined in New Mexico comes from the Jackpile-Paguate, which is one of, if not the largest, open pit uranium mines in the world. From 1953 to the present, 120 million tons of overburden, mining waste, and low-grade material have been removed to produce approximately 10 million tons of merchantable uranium ore, having an average grade of about 0.25% uranium oxide. Identifying the Orebody Surface drill holes delineate the ore bodies on a predetermined grid which varies in dimension but usually affords 100-ft control. These holes are probed immediately after drilling by geophysical logging trucks, resulting in a gamma log and digital readout from each hole. From this information it is possible to arrive at an almost immediate conversion to percentage of U3O8 on 6-in. intervals. Initially a hole is probed at a reconnaissance speed of 10 fpm with a time constant of 8 sec. Wherever the gamma recording goes off scale on an initial run, that particular zone is rerun at 2 fpm and at a time constant of 2 sec. This time constant is the interval that emissions are counted and accumulated for recording purposes. The search radius of the Geiger probe is approximately 18 in.

Jan 8, 1974

W. M. Courtis, Detroit, Mich.: Except for free-gold ores, I have always believed in scorification. I think the crucibleassay gives silver low. We found this out at the Wyandotte works in assaying Silver Islet ore. The mine-managers made us, and also the check-assayera, run one of the duplicates by

Jan 1, 1896

By D. F. Kaufman, E. D. Levine, L. R. Aronin

ThE primary slip plane in hcp metal crystals can usually be inferred from the c/a ratio. Basal slip is the primary system at room temperature for zinc, cadmium, magnesium, cobalt, and rhenium, all of which have a c/a ratio greater than 1.60. Zirconium and titanium, on the other hand, each with a c/a ratio of 1.59, deform primarily by (1010) [ll20] prismatic slip. The increasing tendency toward prismatic slip in these materials is generally thought to be associated with the increase in atomic density on (10i0) as c/a is reduced. Beryllium, with a c/a ratio of 1.57, would, according to the above scheme, be expected to exhibit prismatic slip. However, in beryllium of commercial purity, the primary deformation mode at room temperature is basal slip.' The ratio of critical shear stress for prismatic to that for basal slip at room temperature is approximately 5:l. The critical shear stress for prismatic slip decreases quite rapidly with increasing temperature, however, and at 500°C the ratio is approximately unity. The apparently anomalous behavior of beryllium has led to speculation that prismatic slip in this material may be restricted by an anisotropic effect of impurities,' and that, if beryllium could be purified to a sufficient extent, prismatic slip might predominate at room temperature. In such a case, the conditions under which basal cleavage can occur would be suppressed, and enhanced low-temperature ductility might result. With the advent of the floating-zone method for purification of beryllium,3 it has become possible to determine experimentally the effects of purification on basal and prismatic slip. Tensile tests were performed at room temperature on single crystals oriented favorably either for basal or prismatic slip. The crystals had been purified to various extents by zone-refining, employing procedures that have been described elsewhere.4 Relative purities of the crystals were estimated by measuring the ratio of electrical resistance at 4.2"K to that at 298°K. Typical values ranged from 0.40 for commercial-purity material to 7.7 X 10"4 for crystals prepared from vacuum-distilled beryllium and subjected to six zone-refining passes. The purity dependence of the critical shear stresses for basal and prismatic slip is shown in Fig. 1. In the purity range studied, the critical shear stress for basal slip is decreased from 1.4 to 0.14 kg per sq mm. The critical shear stress for prismatic slip is decreased from 6.7 to 5.3 kg per sq mm. The decreases in critical shear stress for each deformation mode, therefore, are approximately equivalent. No purification anisotropy is observed. Because of the absolute magnitudes of the critical stresses, the ratio of the critical shear stress for prismatic slip to that for basal slip actually increases from 5:l to 38:l at the highest purity level studied. It is evident, therefore, that basal slip is the primary deformation mode in high-purity beryllium. This fact must be accounted for in any rationalization of the deformation behavior of hcp metals. This work was performed at Nuclear Metals, Inc., under the sponsorship of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

Jan 1, 1964

By COURTNEY DE KALB

IRON ore is the cause of the present trouble in Morocco. At least three nations are interested in the outcome and private syndicates have been active. The iron deposits are found in that mountainous northern coast line known as the Rif. This is an uplift that has been cut through, by the northward drainage, representing an ancient land surface. Erosion has produced .a fiordlike coast, which circum- stance has aided contraband' traffic to the tribes dominated by Abd-el-Krim, the chief of the clan of the Beni Urriaguel, near the center of 'the north coast, opposite Alhucemas. The iron deposits are extensive in the territory of the Beni Urriaguel. They were "located," if such a term is permissible, many years ago. The first arrangements, through direct contracts with the tribal chieftains, have been reinforced by compliance with the subsequent code under the Spanish protectorate in 1914. Under those terms, the location had to be made through the Arbitral Commission sitting in Paris. These locations, or "denouncements," were made by the I-louse of Mannesmann, of Hamburg.

Jan 1, 1925

By Samuel L. Hoyt

The present report represents that part of the work that has been done by the War Minerals Investigation, Manganese Section, of the Bureau of Mines, on the use of manganese alloys in open-hearth practice. The magnitude of the work and the number of people participating in one way or another make it difficult to acknowledge adequately the services of all who have contributed to the success of the work. It would be amiss, however, to pass to the body of the report without mentioning the hearty cooperation and willingness to assist of the various manufacturing interests. With such a sympathetic attitude toward this investigation, our work was assured of success. Inasmuch as the unhappy circumstances that rendered this investigation necessary have now passed, this report is made in the hope that the results may prove of some permanent value to the peace-time operation of our open-hearth industry. Broadly speaking, the purpose of the manganese investigation was to consider the most suitable means of utilizing our domestic supply of manganese and thus relieve, to the maximum extent possible, our shipping of the burden of importing manganese ores. It was not held that any decided shortage of manganese was imminent but rather that every legitimate means should be utilized for making our ship tonnage available to European service. While we have considerable metallic manganese in this country, it occurs largely as a low-grade mixture with iron or silica or with both. The open-hearth investigations, therefore, were carried on to determine the extent to which domestic or low-grade alloys could properly be substituted for high-grade alloys without materially impairing the steel production as to either quality or quantity. Also, it was held that such an investigation would yield valuable results to the steel industry as well as contribute, in no small way, toward directing future investigations in the same field. To the practical steel manufacturer, especially to him who felt no immediate concern about

Jan 1, 1920

By G. Barbery

Since the original paper, two methods have been introduced to compute the parameters of the three parameter size distribution equation: [ ] Both of them are based on graphical means, which are time-consuming and of little statistical significance. A program has been developed, using the Gauss-Newton method to compute by nonlinear regression analysis the parameters of the equation. Although the method is quite general in curve-fitting applications, it does not appear to be used in the field of size analysis, and a brief description is given. As applied here, the Gauss-Newton method involves the minimization of the least squares: [ ] where n is the number of sieves used. The second member of Eq. 2 can be approximated by a multiple Taylor's series expansion of first order about a starting value [ ] The minimization of Q (r,s,Xo) means: [ ] Putting Eq. 3 into Eq. 2 and differentiating, we obtain a system of equations which can be represented in matrix symbolism (box) The system can be solved for: [ ] and the operations repeated with new values: [ ] The starting values for r and s are taken as 1, for Xo, a value higher than the maximum sieve opening value. Applied to the data given by Herbst 5,6 for batch grinding of 7 X 9 mesh dolomite, the parameters given in Table 1 were obtained. The discussion of the significance of the residual sum of squares is a difficult subject in multiple nonlinear

Jan 1, 1972

By T. L. MacKay

Oxidation rates of single-crystal and poly crystalline zirconium in oxygen at temperatures from 307° to 815°C obey the parabolic rate law for short ex-posure time, 4 to 6 hr. The activation energy for the oxidation of single-crystal zirconium between 420° and 790°C is 42.6 ± 0.7 kcal per mole, and in the temperature range 307" to 600°C the activation energy for oxidation of poly crystalline zirconium is approximately the same. The high-activation energy is indicative that diffusion through the bulk oxide film is the primary mode of mass transport for both types of metal. The higher oxidation rates for poly -crystalline zirconium in this temperature range were attributed to differences in the orientation of the grains in the metal with respect to the oxidizing surfaces. Above 600°C, vain growth was observed in polycrystalline zirconium, and the oxidation rates approached those of single-crystal zirconium. ThE kinetic data of previous oxidation studies1-' of zirconium in oxygen have been interpreted by both parabolic and cubic rate laws. There is some evidence that there is a transition from the parabolic to the cubic rate law at prolonged exposures, but the question is still controversial. For the parabolic rate law activation energies are reported in the range 18.6 to 35 kcal per mole, and for the cubic rate law in the range 38 to 47 kcal per mole. So far as the mechanism of zirconium oxidation is concerned, inert marker studies10,11 have indicated that the oxidation proceeds by oxygen (anion) diffusion through the oxide film toward the metal-metal oxide interface. Pemslerl2 observed that the orientation of the grains in the zirconium metal substrate affected the rate of formation of the oxide film on the surfaces of the grains and that the orientation dependence of the corrosion rate persisted beyond the initial stages of reaction. The rate of oxidation was a minimum when the c axis of the grain was parallel to the surface of the sample, and rose to a maximum when the c axis was inclined at about 20 deg to the plane of sample surface, and decreased again at higher inclinations. cox13 observed that in 300°C steam a thin oxide film was formed initially on zirconium and that this oxide film, which exhibited interference colors, became dark first along the grain boundaries and then over the whole surface in an inhomogeneous manner as the film thickened. Cox proposed a mechanism in which oxygen diffused along preferred paths created by grain boundaries in the metal and formed a much thicker film at or near the grain boundary than on the central zone of the grain. In the present study, the oxidation rates of single crystals of zirconium were measured in oxygen and compared with the oxidation rates of polycrystalline zirconium of the same bar stock. It was felt that such a comparison would elucidate the role of grain boundaries in the metal substrate. SAMPLE PREPARATION Single crystals of zirconium were prepared by following the procedure of I3apperport,14 starting with 1/4-in. rod purchased as crystal-bar zirconium. Zirconium rods 2 in. long were wrapped in tungsten foil and sealed in quartz tubes at pressures of less than 10-6 mm of mercury. Large single crystals were grown by thermal cycling above and below the a-/3 transformation temperature, 862°C. Several specimens were simultaneously subjected to the same cycling procedure, heating to 1200°C, holding for 4 hr, then cooling in the furnace and holding at a temperature of 840°C for 5 to 10 days. This cycle was repeated five or six times for each set of specimens. The grain size of the crystal-bar zirconium before thermal cycling was between 10 and 30 p. Fig. 1 shows the microstructure of an end section of as-received crystal-bar zirconium. A longitudinal section of each zirconium rod after thermal cycling was polished and examined under polarized light, see Fig. 2, and the largest single crystals were selected for this study. Zirconium rods 1/8 in. in diameter and 1/2 in. long with spherical ends were machined from the single crystals and from the as-received bar stock. An X-ray examination showed that the c axis of the single crystals made either a 34-deg or an 89-deg angle with the rod axis. The specimens were chemically etched for 2 min in solution consisting of 15 parts hydrofluoric acid (48 pct), 80 parts nitric acid, and 80 parts water. The chemical polish removed 1 to 2 mils from the surface. EXPERIMENTAL The Sartorius vacuum microbalance used in this study has a sensitivity of 0.5 pg and a capacity of

Jan 1, 1963

By W. W. Vaughn, R. H. Barnett, E. E. Wilson

Soon after the search for uranium ores on the Colorado Plateau began in earnest, thousands of feet of drill core ranging from 1 1/8 to 2 1/8 in. diam became available for study. Although significant advances had been made in the technique of quantitative gamma-ray borehole logging, instrumentation was in the development stage, and complete reliance could not be placed on gamma-ray logs alone to interpret quantitatively the meaning of radioactivity in a drillhole. A method that would be faster than chemical analysis and still give reproducible and reliable results for various drill core sizes was desirable to provide additional information on the enormous footage of drill core being accumulated. A solid phosphor scintillation drill core scanner was designed and constructed. Basically the instrument was developed to measure radiation from a drill core which would not be clearly recorded by a gamma-ray logger using a Geiger tube as the sensitive element. Such data would be beneficial in constructing isorad maps to delineate ore-bearing zones. A calibration in the range 0.01 to 0.1 pct eU.,O, was provided; above 0.1 pct eU3O8 gamma-ray logs were available and were being used to calculate grade and tonnage of ore reserves. The core scanner, however, has been used to estimate equivalent uranium content of ore-grade materials containing as much as 2.2 pct eU3O8 with an accuracy of ± 10 pct, the sample being in the form of a BX drill core. Actually, an apparent calibration of eU3O8 vs counts per unit time is a straight line with a slope that is a function of the sensitive element and the geometry of the counting assembly. A true calibration that will show the expected departure from a straight line is due principally to the random nature of the pulse from a radiation source and the nonlinearity of the electron circuitry. Design and Construction: Three methods of detecting radioactivity were considered and applied in developing the core scanner now in use: 1) the Geiger tube, 2) liquid scintillation phosphors, and 3) solid scintillation phosphors. The desired sensitivity and long-term drift characteristics needed for this operation could be attained only by using solid scintillation phosphors. All three methods are discussed. Before scintillation counters were common, nine beta-gamma sensitive Geiger tubes 7/8 in. diam by 12 in. long were used, arranged to surround the drill core with tube axes parallel to the axis of the core. This arrangement of Geiger tubes was en- closed in a lead shield 1 in. thick, and provision was made to slide a 6-ft length of drill core manually into the counting chamber, one foot at a time. A count for each segment was taken with a scaler while the core remained stationary. The equivalent uranium content of the different sections of drill core could then be estimated with the aid of a calibration curve of counts per unit time vs percent equivalent uranium (eU). In rare cases the effects of the radioactivity concentrated in small areas within the core introduced errors in the readings made with the Geiger tube arrangement owing to the geometry of the measurement. The variability of counting rate due to a localized concentration of radioactivity in a spot in the wall of a drill core is illustrated in Fig. 1. This effect and the inherent low efficiency of the Geiger tube were considered major disadvantages of this counting arrangement. When liquid scintillation phosphors became available the core scanner in Fig. 2 was constructed to make a more accurate measurement of the equivalent uranium content of a sample. This instrument contains about 4 liters of liquid phosphor in a stainless steel coaxial cylinder 1 ft long, with inner and outer walls 0.060 in. and 0.125 in. thick, respectively. Four end-window type photomulti-plier tube with cathodes of 2 in. diam, immersed in the solution at right angles to the axis of the core, were used to observe light flashes in the phosphor. The liquid phosphor offered equal sensitivity to radiation originating at any point in the enclosure and represented geometrically the optimum in design. However, providing a semi-permanent leak-proof seal between the glass envelope of the phototube and the metal walls of the container proved to be a serious problem in constructing the equipment. The most effective seals were especially machined O-rings from sections of large tygon tubing. The tygon took a permanent set owing to cold flow characteristics and in most cases sealed completely. The light absorption characteristics of the liquid phosphor changed gradually with time, and after one month the counting rate had decreased to half the original value. The most sensitive liquid phosphor tested proved to be a solution containing 4 g of 2.5-diphenyloxazole and 0.01 g of 2-(1-naphthy1)-5-phenyloxazole per liter of toluene. With fresh solution in the chamber and with all photomultiplier tubes operating in parallel, the counting rate contributed by any one of the four photomultiplier tubes was about 85 pct of the counting rate from a single tube operated individually. From these observations it was concluded that owing to coincident loss and light attenuation within the liquid phosphor, the apparent sensitivity could not have been materially increased by additional phototubes. However, this approach to core

Jan 1, 1960

By Robert Mehl

PART I. ORIENTATION RELATIONSHIPS IN OXIDE LAYERS Oriented overgrowths and intergrowths among both metallic and nonmetallic substances have been recognized and studied for well over a century. The work of Widmanstätten in 1808 on the geometrical struc-ture in meteorites, a structure known by his name, demonstrated that oriented intergrowths can occur in purely metallic systems. This fact led to much of the early microscopic study of alloys, contributing greatly to the advance of physical metallurgy. The problem has been attacked again in recent years in a comprehensive fashion, with the object of dis-covering what atomic movements may occur during phase changes in alloy systems. Much of this work has appeared in the A.I.M.E. TRANS-ACTIONS in a series of papers published by Mehl and coworkers beginning in 19311. Although many aspects of this general problem remain unsolved, it may be said that the orientation of a new phase forming by precipitation from solid solution or by transformation invariably bears, a unique relationship to the orientation of the phase from which it formed, and that similarity in atomic patterns on atomic planes in the two phases play an important part in determining the orientation relationship. Analogous orientation relationships exist in oriented intergrowths in nonmetallic systems-mineral or inorganic. In 1827 Haidinger2 dis-covered natural intergrowths of hematite and magnetite, and demon-strated that the rough form of the magnetite octahedrons was delineated by small crystals of hematite, of which the basal (00.1) planes lay parallel to the octahedral cleavage planes of the magnetite. The description of this orientation relationship was later completed by von Rath3, who showed that the edge (00-1):(10-1) in hematite lies normal to the [111]

Jan 1, 1937

By J. A. Knox, R. M. Lasater, J. M. Tinsley

Chemical squeeze treatments have been used to provide temporary relief from certain production problems. The chemical fracture-squeeze technique, combining the effects of a fracturing treatment and a squeeze operation, has been more successful than conventional squeeze operations. Knowledge derived from well stimulation and reservoir engineering research provides a means for predicting the theoretical effective life of such a treatment. Analysis of theoretical equations and concepts developed allows selection of improved treatment techniques based on specific formation conditioins. Theory used in this analysis was developed as an extension of previous electrical model studies made to establish the expected flow and pressure profiles adjacent to a fracture system. The chemical fracture squeeze technique can be utilized in the economic application of corrosion inhibitors, emulsion breakers and paraffin and scale inhibitors. Application of this technique is shown to be effective. The slow return rate of injected chemicals, controlled by the resultant flow profiles and treatment variables, permits extended periods of chemical effectiveness. Results of field treatments are given, showing that the concepts outlined above for chemical fracture-squeeze treatments are valid and that applying this technique can help alleviate many current production problems. INTRODUCTION Much progress has been made in the last 10 to 15 years in developing chemicals for use in stimulating wells, maintaining production and protecting well equipment from damage due to corrosion. Not too many years ago, some wells seemed to dry up or wear out. In many cases the wells were produced as long as possible without any attempt at maintaining productivity. Even with the advent of new and better stimulation techniques, a rapid decline in production was observed. Methods of removing and, in some instances, preventing damage have been developed. Among thosc factors responsible for uneconomical production are scale, paraffin, corrosion, bacteria, water blocks and emulsions. Soluble scale-prevention chemicals have been developed1,2 that can be placed in a formation along with frac- turing sand. As the water produces back across this bed, the solid material dissolves slowly and can provide long-term protection from scale. However, bottom-hole temperature and salinity of produced water vary widely and both these factors influence the rate of solubility. Scale inhibitor composition is also a controlling factor. Some of the solid material may be crushed, increasing the surface area exposed to water and increasing the rate at which it dissolves. Some of the material may never be contacted by water and can be lost. However, this type of treatment has been very successful in many instances and has helped maintain economical production for extended periods of time. Liquid scale inhibitors, which are more widely applicable and more stable, have been developed in recent years; however, because they are liquids, their use has been restricted to treatment down the annulus, using metering pumps to provide proper concentrations in the produced fluid. This has prevented use in wells containing packers, in dually completed wells and in gas-lift and flowing wells. Wells that operate with an open annulus may also experience severe corrosion problems due to introduction of oxygen. Paraffin inhibitors3 have been developed that can be fractured into a well as particulate solids to be slowly dissolved in the produced fluid. These materials are not usually effective in wells with a bottom-hole temperature in excess of 120F since solubility rate may be too fast if that temperature is exceeded or if aromatic content of the oils is unusually high. Corrosion inhibitors have been developed that can be fractured' into a well for long-term feedback, but development of a material with proper solubility or feed rate has been difficult. Corrosion inhibitors are available in many different forms. Liquids have been lubricated down the annulus or sticks or pellets dropped down tubing. Inhibitor squeeze treatments5 devcloped a few years ago led to development of inhibitors with particularly strong film-forming properties.6,7 This technique basically involves displacing a highly concentrated solution of the inhibitor into the formation through the tubing. Kerver and Hanson8 studied the adsorption properties of inhibitors on various types of formations. They showed that, even though the inhibitor was displaced radially into the true permeability, it could be produced back for a long period of time because of slow desorption from the rock. Methods developed for monitoring the return of these inhibitors generally have established 1 to 6 months as the effective limit before retreatment is necessary.9 Inhibitors displaced into the interstices of the formation sometimes cause emulsions that either hamper production or cause treating problems on the surface.

By Arthur Winslow

Location.—The Liberty Bell gold-mine is in the San Juan region, in the southwestern corner of Colorado. It is situated about 2 miles from the town of Telluride, near the summit of the Uncompahgre range, at the head of Cornett basin, at an altitude of 11,000 feet, and in a district of excellent record in the past and of great promise for the future. In the immediate vicinity are such well-known and important mines as the Smuggler Union, with a total production of over $12,000,000; the Virginius and Revenue Tunnel group, with a production of probably $5,000,000; the Tom-Boy, with a production of probably at least $3,000,000; the Japan, the Cimarron, and a number of others. History.—The first prospecting in this district is reported to

Jan 1, 1900

By P. A. Vukmanic, M. Gensamer

Only recently has it been realized that preferred orientations are common in hot-rolled steels. In a recent paper, N. P. Gossl stated that hot-rolled mild steel exhibits a texture different from that characteristic of cold-rolled steel. No complete study of these hot-rolling textures has been reported using the pole-figure method of Wever. The material used in the work reported in this paper was the same material used by Gensamer and Mehl2 in a recent study of preferred orientations in cold-rolled steel, to which reference may be made for the composition and thermal history of the steel. Automobile-body sheet bar 1/4 in. thick was hot-rolled at two temperatures, 780' and 910' C. (1436' and 1669' F.). These temperatures refer to the temperature of the furnace in which the steel was heated; after each pass the steel was returned to the furnace and held there long enough to return to temperature. Although no accurate method was used to measure the temperature after each pass, it was estimated by color that only a slight drop in temperature occurred. In order to determine the effect of any preferred orientation that might have persisted through the normalizing treatment, one specimen at each temperature was rolled in the same direction as the original working direction and the other at right angles to it. The total reduction in each case was 85 per cent, the specimens having been reduced from 0.250 to 0.0375 in. in five passes. Final cooling was in air. Pinhole reflection photograms were taken of all four specimens, with the rolling direction vertical and the X-ray beam at an angle of 7' with the transverse direction (the transverse direction is defined as that direction in the rolling plane perpendicular to the rolling direction). These photograms, taken with a Mo target at 35 kv., are reproduced in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. They show that a more pronounced texture was developed by the low-temperature rolling (780' C.), and that of the two

Jan 1, 1937

By H. W. Rogers

The first steam shovels used in this country were built by the Otis Company, of Boston, about 50 years ago, but as they were of very crude construction and rather unsuccessful only a few were built. For possibly 10 years prior to 1884 successful steam shovels were made and used on certain classes of work, but it was not until that time that they were manufactured in quantities and began to play an important part in all classes of excavation. From that time up to the present day there have been gradual but continuous improvements on the original shovel, not only in the mechanical construction, but also in the design of boilers and engines which are best adapted to this class of service. In proposing a change from steam to electric operation we have to deal with a steam equipment which has not only proved its worth but has probably reached its highest stage of development and efficiency. That the electric shovel is a possibility cannot be denied, as at present from 12 to 18 shovels are in operation in this country. These shovels may be divided into three classes: the friction electric, which is operated by a single constant-speed motor with friction clutches; the three or four motor direct-current equipment, and the three or four motor alternating-current equipment. It is the second and third classes that I wish to deal with, as the first class does not compare favorably with the steam shovel so far as speed is concerned, although it may be operated as cheaply. There is probably no other class of machinery that presents a duty cycle as severe as that of the shovel, which is very short, varying from 7 to 12 sec. on the hoist, from 7 to 12 sec. on the thrust, and from 10 to 18 sec. on the swing, making a complete cycle in from 17 to 30 sec., and the motor to meet these requirements must have a sufficiently low armature inertia to permit of rapid acceleration and quick reversals under small power. It should also be a motor of rugged design, as it must be subjected to severe overloads and shocks and frequent reversals. This is especially true of the hoist motors and, to a lesser degree, of the swing motor; the thrust motor being practically stalled during the digging operation, although it may revolve or overhaul, according to conditions, and is operated at full speed only after the hoisting operation is completed.

Jan 1, 1915

By E. W. Murbach

The oxidation of uranium carbide by oxygen at various pressures, and by air, has been investigated at temperatures up to 600°C. Arc-melted and cast uranium carbide displays oxidation behavior that appears to be dependent on its treatment after melting. ccReactive" uranium carbide, which results from exposure of freshly melted material to laboratory air, ignites in oxygen at about 275° to 350°C depending on pressure, and in air at about 350°C. The product of the initial oxidation appears to be UO2+.. Continued heating produces U30,. The initial oxidation rate is poportional, roughly, to the square root of the oxygen pressure. The activation energy determined for the initial oxidation reaction is 7.1 kcal, from 400° to 600°C in 10 mm of oxygen. AN investigation of low-decontamination methods for reprocessing uranium carbide reactor fuels is being carried out at Atomics International. One of the reprocessing cycles includes oxidation of the fuel at relatively low temperature (300° to 500°C) and reaction of the product oxide with carbon at elevated temperatures (above 1500°C) to produce uranium carbide. A number of small-scale experiments have been carried out in which uranium carbide was oxidized in air and oxygen at various pressures to measure reaction rates and to obtain other information concerning the oxidation process. In initial experiments with arc-melted UC, ignition was observed at about 275°C in oxygen or 350°C in air. However, similar experiments by Neymark' at 426°C in air showed no ignition. It was soon determined that the difference in oxidation behavior was due to the treatment of the UC following arc-melting. Neymark's experiments were carried out with freshly melted UC while those reported in the

Jan 1, 1963

By Franklin R. Carpenter

In area, the Black Hills are about equal to the State of Connecticut. As the accompanying geological map indicates, they exhibit in the main a simple structure, presenting a central mass of granite and Archæan rocks, on all sides of which the later sedimentary rocks dip

Jan 1, 1889

By E. W. Johnson, M. L. Hill

Cold working of iron-carbon alloys was found to increase greatly the hydrogen solubility and to decrease the diffusivity at temperatures up to 400° C. These effects are increasing functions of both the carbon content and the degree of deformation. The hydrogen behavior is consistent with the idea that cotd working creates "traps", which are concluded to be microcracks in which the hydrogen is chemisorbed. Hydrogen embrittlement is explained by the Petch theory of metal crack surface energy loss due to hydrogen adsorption. HYDROGEN embrittlement of steel has been studied for many years and has been the subject of an extensive literature, but the mechanism of the effect has not been completely understood. The embrittlement is unusual in that the ductility loss is not accompanied by an increase of the yield strength, being primarily a decrease of the fracture strength alone. The loss of fracture strength is usually most severe in the temperature range between 0°and 100°C. Here the solubility of hydrogen in the iron lattice at ordinary H2 pressures is extremely low while the diffusivity is still quite high. From the relationships between the ductility and the hydrogen content, test temperature and strain rate, it is apparent that the hydrogen atoms causing the ductility loss difbse to and concentrate in small regions of the metal which are especially susceptible to the initiation and propagation of fracture. This hydrogen segregation apparently occurs after plastic straining has begun. Below 0°C the ductility loss persists only at low strain rates in confirmation of the view that the embrittlement is diffusion .controlled. The tendency of the embrittlement to disappear above 100°C can be explained by the increasing lattice solubility of hydrogen with rising temperature. A common view of hydrogen embrittlement of steel is that the hydrogen initially dissolved in the metal lattice diffuses to structural discontinuities and there precipitates as H2 gas at very high pressures which assist the external stress in causing premature failure.1,2 The idea of a high H2 pressure in equilibrium with ordinary amounts of hydrogen in steel at room temperature is due to observations of hydrogen behavior in fully annealed material, for which the Sieverts' law constant relating solute concentration to H2 pressure is extremely small. Hydrogen-embrittled steel, however, is always plastically deformed to some extent, and therefore it is important that hydrogen embrittlement be explained primarily in terms of hydrogen behavior in plastically deformed material. Such an explanation is attempted in this paper. Previous studies of hydrogen in cold-worked steel have shown that both the solubility and the diffusion rate are significantly chaned when the steel is cold worked. Darken and Smith discovered that the amount of hydrogen absorbed from acid by cold-rolled steel at 35°C is many times greater than that absorbed by hot-rolled steel. They found also that the hydrogen permeability of the steel is unaffected by cold working. Keeler and Davis4 confirmed the high apparent solubility of hydrogen in cold-worked iron-carbon alloys at temperatures up to and even beyond the recrystallization temperature. They also found that this solubility increase accompanying cold work is a sensitive function of the carbon content, being absent when no carbon is present. The present experimental study was undertaken primarily to obtain an improved understanding of the behavior of hydrogen in cold-worked steel. Data were obtained on the effects of temperature, H, pressure, carbon content, and degree of cold work on the hydrogen solubility and diffusivity in iron-carbon alloys. These data have been helpful in elucidating the nature of the cold-worked steel structure as well as in providing information on the mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement of steel. EXPERIMENTAL Cylindrical specimens for hydrogen absorption and diffusion rate measurements were prepared from three iron-carbon binary alloys and a commercial SAE 1010 steel. The iron-carbon alloys were prepared by vacuum melting electrolytic iron with graphite in a magnesia crucible. The alloys were cast in vacuum as 2 1/2-in. sq ingots weighing about 20 lb each. The ingots were hot rolled (above 1900°F) to 5/8-in.-diam round bars and then cooled in air to room temperature. The resulting metallographic structure consisted of islands of fine pearlite surrounded by free ferrite. Chemical analyses of the materials are given in Table I. The 5/8-in. diam bars were turned to diameters such that cold reduction to the desired final specimen diameters would result in either 30 or 60 pct reduction in area (RA). The machined bars were then cold worked by swaging at room temperature

Jan 1, 1960

By Stewart, J. B.

THE property at which this work was done consists of a large deposit of potash salts occurring in massive beds of rock salt, overlain by 600 ft. of salt-impregnated shales and marls. It is in the Province of Cataluiia, Spain, about 45 miles from the railway station of Mauresa and about a mile south of Suria. In addition to sinking the shaft, the program of construction work laid out by the European owners (not Spaniards) included a single-track narrow-gage railroad from Mauresa to the mine; one large office building and several large shop buildings, all of brick and concrete with steel truss roofs; two extensive benches for the future recovery plant; and a large village of stone dwellings for employees. The pay-roll showed approximately 1200 to 1500 men employed. After two years' operation, ending early in the autumn of 1920, the shaft had been sunk 325 ft. and still had an equal distance to go to reach the potash; all tunnels for the railroad were done and the road-bed $0 per cent completed; only a little more than the foundations were completed for all the large buildings, and the excavations of the benches were about 75 per cent done-while only a fair start had been made upon the employees' village. This was the state of affairs when the European owners decided to offer this property under a one-year option to an American syndicate, providing that they agreed to carry on the entire building program and to sink the shaft as fast as was consistent with the quality of work which they demanded, for they wished the shaft to endure at least 200 years.

Jan 1, 1926