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By Evan Bennett

ALMADEN is Arabic for "the mine." The definite article is properly used, for no mercury mine in the world compares with it for richness and volume of ore, produced and potential. After more than twenty centuries of exploitation, intensive throughout the last lour, ore from Almaden is about five times as rich as that of its closest competitor. We drove to the mine one April afternoon, across Don Quixote's plains of the Mancha, up the bleak, arid valley of the Rio Valdeazogue where we passed tenth century Moorish workings and their ruined castles. At dusk, we came to the Hacienda de Castilseras, a large farm where Almaden miners work their land on off days. Then we drove through the whitewashed, well-ordered town to the Castillo de la Direccion where we were challenged at the iron gate by two picturesquely costumed Guardias Jurados.

Jan 1, 1948

By H. O. Hofman

INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, In deternlining experimentally the fusibility of clays, two kinds of methods may be distinguished—the direct and the indirect. Of the direct methods, that of Seger has found

Jan 1, 1899

By A. M. Gaudin, D. W. Fuerstenau

By streaming potential techniques, the zeta potential of quartz has been measured as a function of the concentration of dodecylammonium salts at different pH values. These experiments indicate that adsorption of dodecylammonium ions takes place as individual aminium ions until a certain critical concentration is reached in the double layer, at which point the adsorbed collector ions begin to associate into patches of ions, called hemimicelles. Because of its effect on the surface potential of quartz, pH controls the adsorption of dodecylummonium ions. The value of cooperating agents and nonionized constituents of flotation systems is discussed. Previous investigation of the role of pH in the flotation of quartz with anionic collectors is here extended to an inquiry of how the cationic collector, dodecylammonium acetate, is adsorbed at the quartz-solution interface. The equilibrium amount of this collector adsorbed by quartz has already been measured as a function of concentration and pH. The weight of prior evidence has suggested that two mechanisms are involved in the adsorption of this collector by quartz, but with existing adsorption measurements alone it is not

Oct 1, 1955

By F. E. Bedale

STUDY of several severe mine explosions that occurred during the winter of 1907 led to the belief that coal dust was a definite explosion hazard. The Consolidation Coal Co. was a pioneer in the early work to' eliminate this hazard and to combat the dangers incident to poor ventilation and the presence of methane. Maintenance of high humidity throughout the mines was one of the first measures adopted, later to be superseded by rock-dusting. In the twenty years from 1907 on, many safety measures were developed and adopted, and several prizes were won, though the practice was crude by present-day standards. But in 1927, the company went to work in earnest, and organized a Department of Safety with adequate personnel and with authority to enforce all approved rules for the prevention of accidents and the preservation of company property. All plans for new construction work, changes in mining systems, and proposals for the purchase of new mining equipment had to receive the approval of this Department. A set of operating- and safety standards was written to govern the activities of all employees, and physical examinations for them were required.

Jan 1, 1938

By C. P. Proctor, J. B. Morrow

With numerous plans under consideration for coal classification, and with the advent of the Bituminous Coal Code, the intelligent sampling of coal has become increasingly important. To us it is rather significant that there have been very few fundamental studies of coal sampling in American technical literature since those of E. G. Bailey, which appeared in the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry in March, 1909. He covered the subject up to that time so thoroughly and in such an excellent manner that perhaps many other later students have felt that they could add very little to his findings. The recent studies of the British Engineering Standards Association have indicated the possibility of a somewhat different interpretation of Bailey's results, permitting the taking of smaller samples, and perhaps it will now be helpful to reopen this question. C. W. H. Holmes, in an informative series of articles on coal sampling recently published in Colliery Engineering, makes two rather interesting statements, as follows: It is scarcely surprising to find a lack of interest and knowledge regarding the sampling of coal not only in the mining industry itself but also among consumers of industrial fuel: at its best coal sampling is a dirty business, regarded as a nuisance and an expense by the commercial man, and usually as a nuisance and nothing else by the chemist. The writer can conceive only two classes of people who have never experienced any difficulty in obtaining representative samples of coal from wagons; those who have never tried to, and those who have never had the necessity or desire to check the accuracy of their work. The primary purpose of this paper is to present some tabulated data of the more significant results of a sampling investigation undertaken during the last four years to obtain certain fundamental data on the variables connected with coal sampling and to point out that often assumptions have been made that are not in accordance with the facts. One of the standard sampling methods states:

Jan 1, 1936

By C. P. Proctor, J. B. Morrow

With numerous plans under consideration for coal classification, and with the advent of the Bituminous Coal Code, the intelligent sampling of coal has become increasingly important. To us it is rather significant that there have been very few fundamental studies of coal sampling in American technical literature since those of E. G. Bailey, which appeared in the Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry in March, 1909. He covered the subject up to that time so thoroughly and in such an excellent manner that perhaps many other later students have felt that they could add very little to his findings. The recent studies of the British Engineering Standards Association have indicated the possibility of a somewhat different interpretation of Bailey's results, permitting the taking of smaller samples, and perhaps it will now be helpful to reopen this question. C. W. H. Holmes, in an informative series of articles on coal sampling recently published in Colliery Engineering, makes two rather interesting statements, as follows: It is scarcely surprising to find a lack of interest and knowledge regarding the sampling of coal not only in the mining industry itself but also among consumers of industrial fuel: at its best coal sampling is a dirty business, regarded as a nuisance and an expense by the commercial man, and usually as a nuisance and nothing else by the chemist. The writer can conceive only two classes of people who have never experienced any difficulty in obtaining representative samples of coal from wagons; those who have never tried to, and those who have never had the necessity or desire to check the accuracy of their work. The primary purpose of this paper is to present some tabulated data of the more significant results of a sampling investigation undertaken during the last four years to obtain certain fundamental data on the variables connected with coal sampling and to point out that often assumptions have been made that are not in accordance with the facts. One of the standard sampling methods states:

Jan 1, 1936

By S. J. McCarroll

J. Bruce Clemmer, J. B. Rosenbaum, and C. H. Schack (U.S. Bureau of Mines, Salt Lake City)—We have watched with considerable interest Three Kids development of Manganese Inc. and have been impressed by the ingenuity with which management and staff have solved their many obstinate handling problems. Mr. McCarroll has been lenient in describing the difficulties faced by the company in developing a process for beneficiating Three Kids ore. The operation, equivalent in size to a 20,000-ton sulphide ore plant, is treating a unique ore by a flotation process pioneered by Manganese Inc. Perhaps the magnitude of the conditioning and flotation problems peculiar to Three Kids ore can be better appraised when it is pointed out that two-thirds to three-fourths of the ore is floated in the rougher step and that the four stages of cleaning which follow are equivalent to floating the whole plant feed two to three times. Our experience in both laboratory and pilot plant flotation of Three Kids and other manganese ores leads us to agree with Mr. McCarroll that suitable conditioning is a prime requisite for successful oil-emulsion flotation. The difficulties of proper conditioning were demonstrated in pilot plant processing of Artillery Peak manganese ore at our Boulder City, Nev., experiment station. Over three months of experiments and extensive plant revision were required before satisfactory conditioning was obtained in the 25-ton-per-day plant. Such factors as time, type and intensity of mixing, aeration, surface to volume relationship, and power input are still being studied by the Bureau of Mines in hopes of learning how best to condition manganese pulps for oil-emulsion flotation. Other factors affecting flotation of manganese with oil emulsion also deserve attention. A few of these are the influence of stability and proportion of ingredients in the collector emulsion, the feasibility of grinding

Jan 1, 1955

The plans for the activities of the Petroleum Division for the coming year do not differ materially from those of the past several years. The fall meeting is scheduled for Oct. 12 and 13 and is to be held at Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Division, of course, will take part in the annual meeting of the Institute at New York. A fall meeting will also be held in California at approximately the same time as the meeting at Tulsa. A number of papers are to be presented at the two meetings simultaneously. The various committees are at work arranging the programs. The Division will continue to be active in its various fields of endeavor, such as stabilization, production reviews, and economics, but special stress is to be laid on the engineering and research fields. In the past the Division has served as a forum for open and frank discussion of problems confronting the engineers in the oil industry. It is hoped that it will continue to function in this capacity. Papers presenting original ideas and extending the boundaries of knowledge and understanding in the field of petroleum production will be welcomed. Members who have interesting information to contribute should not wait until called upon by one of the Committees, but should offer a paper at the earliest opportunity. The past year has seen a decided strengthening of the control over production, with prospects of even more rigid control in the future. It is essential that production programs under such control be carefully planned and it is highly desirable that petroleum engineers take an active part in the planning, to insure efficient production of oil and minimize the waste of this natural resource. At a time like this, when it is difficult to keep the production of oil within reasonable limits, it may seem unnecessary to improve the efficiency of production methods, but, as has been aptly said, the trouble is not that we have too great a reserve of oil but that we are producing tomorrow's oil today. Therefore it behooves those who are entrusted with the engineering and scientific phases of production to learn how to get the greatest yield economically possible from the present and future fields in order that we may enjoy the advantages of petroleum products for a long time to come.

Jan 1, 1934

By W. S. Tower

STEEL is the basic metal, the main metallic prop of the modern industrial world, a good gage for measuring the state of our complex economy. Any who had doubts on that score should have had them dispelled by the many evidences of public concern over the affairs of the steel industry in recent months. I do not need to relate the various criticisms of the industry, nor the questions about its policies and performance which have come in a rising flood, especially from unthinking and irresponsible sources. But judged from the standpoint of production, or from plans to improve and expand facilities, or from technical progress, the facts about the steel industry are proof of

Jan 1, 1948

By G. G. Brown

Enthalpy-entropy diagrams are presented for natural gases of 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, and 1.0 gravity over the pressure range of 5 to 10,000 Ib. per sq. in. and temperature range of 32º to 700°F. The charts indicate directly the work requirement and temperature rise for adiabatic compression or temperature change for free emansion of natural eases. Computation and Uses of Charts The Mollier diagram (Fig. 4), in which the enthalpy (heat content) is plotted against the entropy with lines of constant temperature, pressure,, and in some cases volume, has been found most convenient when dealing with the compression, expansion, and flow of fluids. In dealing with the flow of fluids, the sum of the increase in the enthalpy, AH, plus the increase in kinetic energy, AM —, plus the increase in potential energy, ?MZ, representing the total increase in energy of the fluid in flow, is equal to the sum of the heat q, and work added, —w, to the fluid while flowing between the entrance and exit of the flow system. AH + AM— + ?MZ = q-w [1] In cases where there is no significant change in potential energy or in kinetic energy (velocity), it follows that the increase in enthalpy is equal to the total energy supplied to the fluid. Under such conditions' the changes in the property of the fluid as it flows through a throttling valve, choke, or any other similar arrangement, may be read directly from the enthalpy-entropy diagram by following a horizolltal line between the known pressures' When compressing Or expanding a gas by means of a Or or engine in which no heat is added to or subtracted from the gas, but only work done, the changes in the properties of the gas may be determined along a vertical line of constant entropy between the entering and exit pressures. The power required for the compression of the gas may be readily determined by converting the increase in enthalpy into the desired units. The enthalpy-entropy diagram for natural gases is to the gas engineer what the steam diagram is to the steam-power engineer. For this reason it would be extremely convenient if a reasonably satisfactory enthalpy-entropy diagram could be prepared as a function of the gravity of the gas. A careful study of the known properties of natural gas indicate that this is possible. The effect of temperature upon the enthalpy at constant pressure is expressed as the "heat capacity" or "specific heat" of the gas. The best available data for natural and petroleum refinery gases indicates the relationship shown in Fig. I. From this it is clear that the specific heat of natural gases is a function only of the gas gravity and the temperature at atmospheric pressure. The effect of pressure on the enthalpy of natural gases is dependent upon the pressure-volume-temperature relationships,

Jan 1, 1945

By Maynard H. Jameson

EARLIER investigations of the potential-drop-ratio method of electrical prospecting have indicated that under suitable conditions this method is well adapted to the location of formation boundaries in stratified ground. A description of this development was given several years ago by H. Lundberg and Th. Zuschlag.1 The curves published by these authors for the potential-drop-ratio variation above a horizontal contact indicated a definite relation of the position of the curve peak to the depth of the interface. The theory underlying this relation was subsequently studied by Z. Mitera in greater detail,2 and the theoretical deductions were compared with the results of tank experiments. The investigations available at this writing were confined to studies of horizontal formation boundaries. It is the purpose of this paper to extend the scope of the previous work to the problem of dipping layers. THEORY Consider the case of three media of different resistivities, whose interfaces are not parallel. If a point-source is located in one of these interfaces, its images do not lie in a straight line, but on the circumference of a circle whose center is at the hypothetical junction of the interfaces. R. F. Aldredge3 determined the relation that exists between the degrees of dip of the two interfaces and the distances between the various images and the point for which the potential is to be found. As seen in Fig. I, three media of resistivities po, pi, and p2 are involved, and the source I is located at the interface of the media (po) and (pi). The perpendicular depth of the lower interface is h,? is the dip, R is the distance between source I and potential point P, and r is the distance between the images and that point. To distinguish between images lying above the ground interface and those below, the notation "odd" and "even" images will be employed; images below the ground interface will be termed "odd" and those above "even." The following relations govern the distances between either kind of images and the potential point: [ ] As previously pointed out, the images of the source are on the circumference of a circle. If the angle of dip is ?, the angle measured from the horizontal to the first image is 2? to the second image it is 4?,, and so on. Since the limit of the reflecting interface is at its outcrop, the last possible

Jan 1, 1941

By executive order of the President, dated June 25, 1918, the investigation of matters relating to gas warfare, which had been initiated by the Director of the U. S. Bureau of Mines early in 1917, and had been continuously maintained and improved since, that time, was transferred to the recently created Division of Gas Warfare of the War Department. On the occasion of this transfer, both the President and the Secretary of War took occasion to speak most highly of the efficient service that had been rendered by the Bureau of Mines. It gives us great pleasure to reproduce here a letter from the President and from the Secretary of War, bearing on this subject and also to append a brief review of the work of the Bureau of Mines, prepared by its Director, Mr. Van H. Manning. The White House, Washington. June 26, 1918. MY DEAR MR. MANNING: I have had before me for some days the-question presented by the Secretary of War involving the transfer of the chemical section established by you at the American University from the Bureau of Mines to the newly organized Division-of Gas Warfare in which the War Department is now concentrating all the various facilities for offensive and defensive gas operations. I am satisfied that a more efficient organization can he effected by having these various activities under one direction and control, and my hesitation about acting in the matter has grown only out of a reluctance to take away from the Bureau of Mines a piece of work which thus far it has so effectively performed. The Secretary of War has assured me of his own recognition of the splendid work you have been able to do, and I am taking the liberty of enclosing a letter which I have received from him, in order that you may-see how fully the War Department recognizes the value of the services. I am to-day signing the order directing the transfer. I want, however, to express to you my own-appreciation of the fine and helpful piece of work which you-have-done, and to. say that this sort of team work by the bureaus outside of the direct war-making agency is one of the cheering and gratifying evidences of the way our official forces are inspired by the presence of a great national task. Cordially yours, Dr. Van. H. Manning, WOODROW WILSON. Chief, Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior. War Department, Washington, June 25, 1918. MY DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: In connection with the proposed transfer of the chemical section at. American University from the Bureau of Mines to the newly constituted and consolidated Gas Service of the War Department, which you are considering, I am specially concerned to have you know how much the War Department appreciates the splendid services which have been rendered to the country and to the Army by the Department of the Interior, and especially by the Bureau of Mines under the direction of Dr. Manning. In the early days of preparation and organization, Dr. Manning's contact with scientific men throughout the country was indispensably valuable. He was able to summon from the universities and the technical laboratories of the country men of the highest quality and to inspire them with enthusiastic zeal in attacking new and difficult problems which had to be solved with the utmost speed. I do not see how the work could have been better done than he did it, and the present suggestion that the section now pass under the direction and control of the War Department grows out of the fact that the whole subject of gas warfare has assumed a fresh pressure and intensity, and the director of it must have the widest control so as to be able to use the resources at his command in the most effective way possible. The proposal does not involve the disruption of the fine group of scientific men Dr. Manning has brought together, but merely their transfer to General Sibert's direction. Respectfully yours, NEWTON D. BAKER.

Jan 9, 1918

By CHARLES SIMENSTAD

COAL preparation, or coal washing, is not a new subject to the Pacific Northwest. Most of the coals mined in this state smaller than lump, and nearly all such sizes mined on the Pacific slope of the Cascade mountains, require washing before marketing. A large proportion is being put through some washing process, but coal washing in this state, has not reached the efficiency it is practicable to obtain. In fields where the coal, as mined, contains less impurities, where working conditions make it practicable to eliminate some of these impurities under- ground, or where a large proportion of the run-of-mine coal is lump, coal preparation does not present the problem it does in our local field. Here the coal is associated with considerable impurities and the slack, or steam sizes, aggregate about 80 per cent. of the output. Therefore, approximately 80 per cent. of the coal mined must be washed to become a valuable fuel. Washing then becomes a major operation, as hand picking of the 20 per cent. of lump is a standard and comparatively simple operation. Some coal beds here are so interstratified with bone, of a more or less massive nature, that hand picking of lump is not economically efficient. In such cases the coal must be crushed fine enough for it to be freed from the bone, so that the two may be separated. Coal cleaning in this field, therefore, must receive skilled attention to purify this fuel and raise its stand- ard. Without greater efficiency in cleaning, the importation of coal from outside the state will be even greater than in the past.

Jan 1, 1926

By C. K. Leith

THE outstanding fact of the mineral world today, at home and abroad, is the surplus of current production, and particularly of capacity for production, over current requirements. This is not by Any means a new condition, but never before has it loomed up in such' menacing form. - Those of us who have devoted most of our professional efforts to the discovery and development of 'new mineral supplies now suddenly find ourselves with the job apparently accomplished, waiting for some one else to find an outlet for excess mineral production before we can further. The management of the industry is in much the same boat. The psjrcho16gy of the industry has been so grooved in the direction of acquisition of, minerals that at the present moment the mineral industry confronts the new problem of surplus in more or less of a daze.

Jan 1, 1931

By Frances Hurd, Clark

Iv 1897, Roberts-Austen(l)$ found an arrest in the thermal curves of alloys of 60 per cent. copper and 40 per cent. zinc. This break occurred from 450° to 470° C. Shepherd, (2) working in 1904, was unable to detect any change in the direction of the thermal curve. In 1911, Carpenter and Edwards(3) confirmed the work of Roberts-Austen and called this a eutectoid transformation of beta to alpha plus gamma. Hudson') in 1914, showed that the beta constituent could be produced synthetically at temperatures below the transformation point. He believed the change in the beta was polymorphic in nature rather than a eutectoid. The work of Matsuda(32) in 1922 demonstrated this break by thermal analysis, microscopic investigations, dilatation, electrical resistance measurements, and a thermoelectric study. He believed the transformation to be continuous from 300° to 480° C., and comparable to the A 2 transformation in iron. Later, in 1924, Andrew and Hay, with electrical resistance measurements, confirmed Matsuda's work. Imai(28) showed the transformation to be progressive and therefore a function of the temperature rather than the time. He stated that it was neither a eutectoid nor an allotropic change of phase. Atomistically expressed, it was a change, not of atomic configuration, but of atomic energy of some kind; and again it was compared to the A 2 transformation in iron. Imai believed that his analyses by X-rays led to the same conclusion. In order to study this change, at 470'C., in homogeneous 60:40 brass, Homerberg and Williams «0> and Homerberg and Shaw(41) quenched their material in iced brine to obtain the beta solid solution and reheated at various temperatures. At 200° C., a change in the microstructure and physical properties occurred. A fine-grained structure, which they termed alpha and which had the appearance of a sorbitic steel, appeared, with an increase in the tensile strength to 82,750 lb. per sq. in., and a Brinell ball hardness of 240 with 3000 kg. load. At 470° C., the alpha

Jan 1, 1927

By H. H. Campbell

The following paper deals almost exclusively with the results of practice at the works of the Pennsylvania Steel Company at Steelton, Pa. From the records of the furnaces at this plant, both acid and basic, large and small, are drawn the data for the various demon strations, and on a long and intimate experience with their opera tions are founded many theories and generalizations. It may seem that universal laws should not be built upon a basis so restricted ; but in reality the condition is the strongest guarantee of validity. Each table investigates some- certain variable, and by virtue of the common origin of the factors, we have good ground for assuming the corresponding agents to be equal. The examples may or may not be instances of good practice, and may be open to criticism if regarded solely as exponents of • metallurgical success. But it must be remembered that the lists are not made up of selected specimens, nor are they chosen to show su perior results; they are gathered to investigate, by strict scientific methods, the formula? of the operation. In such work no untoward results should be eliminated, save those which bear upon their face the stamp of experimental error. If the worst members be omitted, then the best must also be omitted. Only by using every available case can an honest attempt be made to deduce a true average. It is recog nized, however, that with the most careful selection it is difficult, if not impossible, to collect data representing universal conditions. In each table the records tell of a special practice, and all conclusions drawn from them are true only within the limits between which the equations have been integrated. Not assuming the prerogative of speaking for American melters in all the opinions herein expressed, nor acting as a camera in por traying an ephemeral state of national metallurgical development,

Jan 1, 1894

By D. J. Cox, J. P. Conway, A. E. Gooch

A two-year test conducted by the USBM's Spokane Mining Research Center (SMRC) has proven the feasibility of the yielding rockbolt, a concept which may prove very useful to the mining industry by providing ground support under a variety of conditions. The yielding rockbolt was originally developed in South Africa3 to overcome the limitations of conventional bolting in rock subjected to high-stress or rock burst conditions. The yielding effect is obtained by fitting the bolt prior to thread rolling with a smooth-bore die of internal diameter slightly larger than the shank diameter but smaller than the rolled thread diameter.

Jan 4, 1977

Seattle offered sunny, dry weather to about 2500 mining men who assembled September 10 to 14 for the 1961 American Mining Congress. The impact of snappy sessions on national mineral policy, state of the industry and foreign competition (to name only a few) was somewhat overshadowed by enthusiasm of conventioners for salmon fishing. This lordly fish, which mysteriously runs to its hatching place to spawn and die at this time of year, was not cooperating with the anglers in Puget Sound. However, this did not prevent consuming ample amounts of the deliciously prepared Quinault salmon at the "Potlatch" celebration.

Jan 10, 1961

By Otto H. Henry, Edward L. Badwick

Up to the present time, according to Hansen1 and Haughton,2 the constitution of the bismuth-indium system has not yet been published. The generally accepted value for the melting point of indium, as listed in most scientific journals and textbooks, is 155°C. Recently, however, H. M. Davis3 has determined a new melting point for indium of 257.3°C ± 0.1°C. Since bismuth has been used in preponderance as an alloying element in the majority of low-melting alloys, and indium has been used with considerable success in lowering the melting points of low-melting alloys,4,5 an interest has been developed in the application of these two metals, making a complete knowledge of the constitution of its alloys desirable. In this investigation, the melting point of indium reported by H. M. Davis has been found to be substantially correct. A value of 157.2°C ± 0.5°C was determined. The two eutectic compositions have been placed at 34 and 50 pct bismuth with their respective eutectic temperatures as 72.4'C ± 0.5°C and 90°C ± 0.5°C. The bismuth-indium phase diagram has been determined by thermal and microscopic analysis and is shown in Fig I. THERMAL ANALYSIS Granulated bismuth and indium shot, having a guaranteed purity of 99.99 and 99.95 pct, respectively, were melted in a carbon crucible by means of a laboratory heater. To minimize oxidation of the alloys, a heavy mineral oil (Nujol) having a high flash point was used. A platinum-platinum rhodium thermocouple 0f fine wire encased in a thin-walled Pyrex glass tube, about 1/8 in. in diameter, was connected to a type K potentiometer for temperature measurements. The thermo-couple was calibrated against the melting points of tin, bismuth, and the silver-copper eutectic and the boiling point of water. Since the temperature readings could be reproduced to 0.2°C, and the accuracy of the temperature standards in this range is slightly better than 0.5°C, it seems reasonable to assume that the temperature readings are reliable to approximately 0.5°C. The cooling rate could be controlled by varying the amount of insulation surrounding the crucible. Three or four layers of asbestos paper, 1/16r, in. thick, sufficed to give a cooling rate of from 1° to 2°C per minute. Undercooling was slightly noticeable. This condition was minimized by vigorous stirring, since the advantage of using slower rates was too small to justify the greater expenditure

Jan 1, 1947

air-lift and equipped with tapered tubing of proper design, we would have a gas input consumption of about 2500 cu. ft. per bbl., which at 3 to 4c. per 1000 cu. ft. would be 7 1/2 to l0c, per bbl., and there would be very infrequent loss of production due to stoppages. It has been demonstrated that with efficient design of air-gas lift, the production of wells can be increased much beyond that obtained with the former type of air-lift employed; also that small wells can be operated by air-lift with tapered tubing at a cost that places this method in competition with beam pumps in many fields. The next step in conservation that the writer expects to have an opportunity to demonstrate is that of restoring the pressure in a pool and producing by air-gas lift all of the oil possible to lift economically. This combined operation is probably the method toward which we shall eventually be working in recovering the maximum quantity of oil from pools where the oil is recovered through bore holes. General Discussion on the Air-gas Lift H. P. Porter, Tulsa, 0kla.—The papers presented at this meeting contain a great amount of valuable information. Wonderful progress has been shown in the development of air and gas-lifts. There has been nearly everything brought out that touches upon the subject. The real point that is lacking is exact knowledge of the velocity with in the flow column which will produce the best effect—that is the thing we must know more about. Velocity in Gas-lift Flow In other lines of industry the matter of velocity of fluids in pipe lines has been well analyzed and there are known laws by which to calculate velocity of flow; for instance, in irrigation work large pumps are designed with intake pipos to employ an intake velocity of 4 ft. per scc. By reduced cross-sect'ion the velocity is increased rapidly as it enters the pump and the discharge rate is at 12 ft. per src., which in turn is reduced in the discharge column to 4 ft. per sec. Crushed coal, grain and granular material is found to be best conveyed by air when a pneumatic conveyor is employed at 100 ft. per sec. As in the design of a pumping plant or a pneumatic conveyor, the velocity at the lower end of the column in the flowing well must be controlled within certain limits for best results. Mr. Griswold, I believe, stated that they had velocity as low as 15 it. per scc. and from that up to 78 ft. per sec. Mr. Pierce and Mr. Lewis showed an ideal flow column showing how the velocity increased as the fluid was carried up the column, hut did not give any figures as to the velocity. It would be well to take that sort of a diagram to establish an ideal velocity at the lower or intake end, and then calculate the velocity from expansion of the gas as it goes up. It may be that the, ideal intake velocity would vary, depending on the depth of the well, the quantity of liquid to be handled or the pressure which it may be desired to hold. The subject is one that might be worth much research.

Jan 1, 1928