Search Documents

By C. D. Stahl, S. M. Farouq Ali, W. E. Culham

One- and two-dimensional mathematical models have been developed that simulate transient, two-phase flow of hydrocarbon mixtures in porous media in a manner that accounts for interphase mass transfer. Numerical simulations of one-dimensional depletion-drive experiments using a two-component hydrucarbon fluid were used to establish the validity of the mathematical models. In addition, the experimental and numerical data were used to demonstrate that production rate had a relatively insignificant effect on the recovery of individual hydrocarbon components from the experimental system, and that attainment of equilibrium between phases is possible for a wide range of liquid and vapor velocities in reservoirs containing light hydrocarbon fluids. Results of some two-dimensional numerical simulations are also presented. INTRODUCTION This study was undertaken to develop a mathematical model that would simulate transient, two-phase flow of hydrocarbon mixtures in porous media under conditions that result in interphase mass transfer and to test the validity of the assumptions used to set up the model. In addition, the study was designed to determine if production rate influences the recovery of individual hydrocarbon components from reservoirs producing by depletion drive. Two-phase flow in porous media, with interchange of components between the two phases, is important in many petroleum recovery processes. Studiesl-5 conducted within the last 3 years have outlined methods of solving multiphase flow problems incorporating mass transfer. Some of these studies have also indicated the importance of accounting for mass transfer under various producing conditions. An earlier work6 first demonstrated the importance of combining relative permeability data with equilibrium ratios in compositional balance methods. The mathematical model presented in this paper is formulated so that a phase behavior package, as described in previous papers,5,17 is not required as an integral part of the routine employed to solve for the primary dependent variables. The finite difference formulation is designed so that all the primary variables can be solved for simultaneously. This is accomplished by utilizing one basic set of equations. These innovations, which are in contrast to other models2,3,5 but are similar in some respects to the approach used by Taylor,l render the total problem computationally simpler than any of the previously referenced formulations. The mathematical model was developed by combining Darcy's law with a continuity equation for each hydrocarbon component. The principal assumptions invoked in the formulation were (1) that capillary forces and diffusional effects are negligible, and (2) that thermodynamic equilibrium exists in the reservoir at all times. No assumption as to the type of vaporization process was made in formulating this model. Experimental data were required to complete this study. These were generated by conducting several depletion drive experiments. The experimental apparatus consisted of a sandstone core enclosed in a pressurized casing. The apparatus was designed in such a manner that the core could be charged with a liquid hydrocarbon mixture and depleted at different production rates. The experimental tests were designed to determine the effect of production rate on component recovery. In addition, direct comparison of experimental and mathematically predicted

Jan 1, 1970

By H. A. Wriedt

Zinc-vapor pressures in equilibrium with bcc solutions of zinc and iron at 703.5", 757", 793", and 900°C were measured by an isopiestic method. Thermody-na?nic properties of zinc in these solutions were derived directly and those of iron with a Gibbs-Duhem integration. Zirzc and iron exhibit large, positive, and moderately temperature-sensitive deviations from ideality. Excess enthalpies and Gibbs energies are positive in the ranges studied. It has been establzshed in relating published phase equilibria to the Gibbs energies of forming solid solutions that positive departures from ideality also exist in the fcc solutions. Tlze stability, as defined by Darken, of the bcc solutions is small but positive at 703.5"C. Its decrease with decreasing temperature indicates that a miscibility gap may exist in the stable or metastable bcc solutions at lower temperatures. The changes of thertnodynanlic properties relatable to changes in magnetic state are minor compared to other changes due to alloying. The accuracy with which the relation between lattice parameter and composition of the bcc solutions is known has been improved. Zinc increases the lattice parameter of a iron by O.ZOZA per unit atom action zinc to at least NZn = 0.25. TO our knowledge, only Ciganl has previously investigated thermodynamic properties of the bcc solutions of the Fe-Zn system. He measured zinc-vapor pressures in the temperature range from about 320" to 360°C by an effusion technique. We have measured the vapor pressures of zinc in equilibrium with bcc solutions of zinc and iron at 703.5", 757", 793", and 900°C by an isopiestic technique. This investigation and the pursuant thermodynamic computations are part of a program for studying several properties of these solid solutions. In the appendix we report a remeasurement of the relation at room temperature between the lattice parameter and zinc content. Related work not reported herein embraces measuring the diffusivity2 of zinc in ferrite at 700" to 900°C and the Curie point temperature3 as functions of composition. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD AND APPARATUS Purified iron at a series of constant temperatures was saturated with zinc at a series of constant zinc-vapor pressures, the range of conditions being so limited that the equilibrated solid solutions were ferri-tic. The equilibration was conducted in long capsules, Fig. 1, that had been evacuated, gettered with titanium, and sealed. The purified iron, part of a vacuum-melted ingot of electrolytic-iron stock (Glidden Co. 1044-grade), had the impurity contents listed in Table I. It was used in the form of millings about 0.001 in. thick. A zinc of 99.999 pct purity (United Mineral and Chemical Corp.) and later one of 99.9999 pct purity (Cominco Products, Inc.) were used, with no observed difference in results. Sufficient zinc was placed in the capsule (separate from the iron and kept at a different temperature) to supply the vapor phase and the iron alloy, while leaving a pool of pure liquid zinc throughout the run. The imposed temperature of the residual zinc pool fixed the vapor pressure of zinc throughout the capsule; condensation was avoided at other locations by making this the lowest temperature in the capsule. Two common complications of nonisothermal systems were, we believe, effectively absent from ours: first, molecular species other than monatomic have no appreciable concentration in zinc vapor at 700" to 900~~: second, the development of zinc-pressure differentials in the capsules was suppressed by use of relatively large-diameter tubing and the absence of diluents in the zinc vapor other than desorbed impurities. The specimens and zinc pool were located at two isothermal zones (each ranging within 1°C over several inches) of a wire-wound, 37-in.-long vertical-tube furnace. The required temperature distribution was achieved by external adjustment of the currents in three electrically isolated windings. The temperatures of the isothermal zones were controlled independently by ther-

Jan 1, 1968

By A. S. Richardson

THe conditions that make necessary the mechanical ventilation of the Butte mines of the Anaconda Copper Mining Go. are due to a number of causes, all of which are incidental to the depth at which mining operations are now carried on, The main object to be accomplished, of course, is the reduction of the temperature and humidity of the air in the working places. Ventilation fans, both surface and underground, have been used for many years, but increasing depth has made the problem much more difficult. Further improvement in both ventilation equipment and methods, therefore, became necessary; and it is the purpose of this paper to describe the work planned and done under the improvement program. The mines of the district have been frequently described in various technical publications, so a description is unnecessary here. From a mine-ventilation viewpoint, compared with coal-mine ventilation systems, the problem is complicated by the fact that the workings to be ventilated are situated on a large number of steeply dipping veins which frequently intersect and are faulted, and also by the fact that the extent, or existence, of orebodies is not definitely known in advance of actual development work. For these reasons ventilation work cannot be planned in advance of actual operations, nor can such regular systems of ventilation as are used in working the more uniform and continuous bodies of coal be developed. When operations are conducted at a normal rate, about 10,000 miners are employed on two shifts, so that about 5000 men will be underground at one time. But as ventilation is necessary to reduce high temperature and humidity due, mainly, to natural causes, the quantity of air per man per minute is not a governing consideration in determining ventilation requirements. Most important among the numerous sources of heat and humidity in the mines are: heat generated during decay of mine timber; heat and humidity given off by mine rock and water; heat generated by oxidation of sulfide minerals; heat given off by electrical equipment; heat generated by mine fires (in certain localities).

Jan 1, 1923

By G. H. Kesler, J. E. Oberele, C. E. Dryden, J. H. Oxley

Heat-transfer rates were measured in a model of a multifilament vapor-deposition bulb fo the preparation of high-purzty metals. Local transfer coefficients for heat transfer frow the filaments to the circuates process stream were determined as a functiol of gas flow rates and bulb, inlet, and filament, geowzetvies. These results a-e then convertted to n mass-t7,ansfer basis to provide a method of correlating vapor-deposition rates and to predict the performance of commercial urzits. The firm1 cor?,elating equation for mass transfer was found to be- wheve k, is the mass-transfer coefficient; D, is bze gas difficsivity : P is the system pressure; R is the gas constant; T is the gas temperature; Df, DB, and Di ave tlze diameters of the filament, bulb, and inlet, respectively; k is the gas conductivity; C, is the specific heat of the gas, M is the wzolecular zleight of the gas; Npr . N,,, NRe a7'e the Prandtl, Schmidt, and Reynolds numbem of the system, respectively; LB is the height of the bulb; and SB and Sf are the total suyiace area of the bulb and filaments, respectively. ONE of the more conventional methods of preparing very high-purity metals is the vapor deposition of the metal upon heated filaments. The reactions which can be employed in such a process generally fall into two classes: 1) Pyrolysis of a volatile metal compound. Generally because of their instabilities, metal iodides are used; however, other metal halides and hydrides have been employed. These processes are frequently carried out under vacuum conditions, and the filaments are maintained at high temperatures. 2) Hydrogen reduction of a volatile metal compound. A metal chloride is normally the preferred feed for these processes, but other halides are sometimes used under special conditions. These hydro- gen-reduction processes are usually operated at atmospheric pressure. Many of the current processes for the production of semiconductor materials are actually vapor-deposition processes. However, the vapor-deposition process itself is relatively old, and almost all metals can be prepared in a state of very high purity by the use of vapor-deposition techniques. Loonam has recently given an excellent review of the iodide process for metal deposition,' and Owen has started some detailed studies with a carbonyl system.' A more general treatment of all vapor-deposition processes has been outlined by Powell, Campbell, and Gonser.3 Despite the fact that vapor-deposition techniques have been employed since 1890, there is a surprising lack of fundamental information regarding the transport characteristics of even the simplest deposition system, the heated filament. The purpose of the investigation described in this paper was to extend some of the earlier data obtained at Battelle to predict deposition rates and the uniformity of deposition in large-diameter, multifilament deposition bulbs under forced convection conditions.4'5 A number of other investigators have already presented a simplified treatment of the deposition process under non-flow conditions, i.e., pure diffusion.6"9 To obtain information on the transport characteristics of a deposition bulb, a model of a typical plant deposition unit was constructed, and local heat-transfer coefficients from the filaments to a circulating air stream were determined under various conditions of air-flow rates and bulb, inlet, and filament geometries. These results were then converted to a mass-transfer basis, and consequently provided a method to correlate experimental vapor-deposition rates and to design commercial deposition units. EXPERIMENTAL WORK Description of Model. The apparatus which was used in this work was a scaled model of one type of deposition bulb. It was constructed of Lucite and was easily altered to give several combinations of diameter of bulb liner, inlet size and location, number of filaments, and outlet geometry. The model is shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The bulb shell was made octagonal for convenience in construction and observation, and the bulb liners were cylindrical. Air, introduced through one of several different jet inlets, was used as the test fluid in these model studies. Filaments for deposition of metal were simulated by metal rods 1/4-in. in diam. Two of the rods could be heated by passing electrical current through them ¦ while the remaining rods could not be heated. This procedure minimized the amount of heat which was

Jan 1, 1962

By W. H. Bassett

Beads of metal frequently appear at the ends of cast-copper wire bars and on the sides of wedge cakes near the top. These are richer in cuprous-oxide than the rest of the casting. A micrographical study of these exudations has been made. It is suggested that the material is forced through the surface while the copper is solidifying. If not eliminated in process of manufacture, it shows on the finished polished sheet copper in patches differing in color from the main body of the sheet. FIGURES 1 to 4 show the copper exudations, at different magnifications, as they appear on the ends of cast wire bars, and on the sides, usually near the top, of wedge cakes. Sometimes the exudations are in fine "drops;" at other times, large masses of the material are found. Microscopic examination of the copper exudation indicates that it is high in oxide and of eutectic proportions. Because of the difficulty of securing a suitable sample, the protuberances have not been analyzed chemically; but the spectroscope shows no indication that there are any more metallic impurities present than in the balance of the copper. The lowest copper plus silver content of the coppers studied for this? paper was 99.914 per cent.; the highest, 99.966 per cent.; so the oxygen content of the whole casting would be well under 0.07 per cent.

Jan 2, 1926

By C. van Dijk

In Sept., 1960, a steam-drive project was started in the solution-gas drive area of the Schoonebeek field. A part(ern of three five-spots and one four-spot was selected covering an area of 65 acres. The pay in the project area has good lateral continuity and dips slightly to the northeut; it is about SO ft thick and permeability increases from 1,000 and at the bottom to approximately 10,000 md at the top. The oil originally in place was 12.6 X 10' bbl. The oil has an in situ viscosity of about 180 cp. At the start of the steam drive the cumulative primary production due to. solution-ga.7 drive amounted id 4 Percent of the oil originally in place. Reservoir pressure had dropped about 120 psi and no significant primary re-.serves remained. Some 11.3 million bbl of steam (all steam quantities are expressed in barrels of water vaporized) have been injected, resulting in production of an additional 4.1 X I0 9bl of oil, or 33 percent of the oil originally in place. This corresponds to a cumulative oil-stearn rario of 0.37 bbllbbl. It appears that the steam preferentially moves r updip while liquids are produced mainly from downdip wells observations indicate that tile steam flows through only the upper part of the formation. The lateral steam distribution in the pattern is satisfacrory since several prodriction wells hardly reacted and, hence, cori tributcd little to the oil production. Production performance and results from material balance calcutlations agree satisfactorily with the results of large-,scale laboratory experiments. On the basis of these experirmental results the .steam drive, together with a cold water follow-up. is expected to bring ultimate recovery to a value of crt leas: 50 percent of the oil originally in place. No serious production problems have been encountered. However, due to mechanical fuilure, two old prodriction wells and one injection well had to be replaced. An extension of the. steam drive in this area is under connstruction. Introduction The Schoonebeek oil field, discovered in 1943 and developed after World War 11, is situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands. The main oil reservoir in this field is the Valanginian sand. A completely sealing fault divides this reservoir into two areas (Fig. 1): the southwestern part of the sand body where primary production is ob- tained by means of a solution-gas drive, and the remain. der where edge-water drive is the production mechanism. In the greater part of the field the reservoir consists of a single, unconsolidated sand body. The net thickness ranges from 30 to 100 ft and the top is between 2,400 and 2,800 ft below sea level. Formation permeability varies from approximately 10,000 md at the top to values of the order of 1,000 md at the bottom, and porosity is about 30 percent. The reservoir contains a paraffinic oil of 25" API gravity with an in situ viscosity of 160 to 180 cp. Initial oil saturation was high (85 to 90 percent). The relatively large quantity of oil in place (more than 10' bbl), and the low ultimate primary recoveries expected from this field — approximately 15 percent stock-tank oil initially in place (STOIIP) for the water-drive area and 5 percent STOIIP for the solution-gas drive area — clearly indicate ample scope for secondary recovery. Because ies-ervoir and crude characteristics made this field suitable for thermal secondary recovery, a hot-water drive project was started in the water-drive area about 10 years ago. A few years later a steam drive and an in situ combustion project were started in the solution-gas drive area. This paper deals with the performance of the steam-drive project, which was started in Sept., 1960, and which is still in operation. Design of Steam-Drive Project, An experimental investigation of the steam-drive process carried out by schenk in 19561 indicated that under schoonebeek conditions steam injection could be an attractive secondary recovery method. the findings and encouraging results of a pilot test in the Mene Grande field in venezuela,i led to the design of a steam-drive project in the schoonebeek field, Pruject Site and Pattern In 1958 the reservoir pressure in the solution-gas drive area had decreased to about 120 psi, and oil production rates of wells in this area had dropped to 7 to 10 B/D. The cumulative primary production was about 4 percent STOIIP, leaving an oil saturation of approximately 85 percent. In view of the large amount of oil left behind in the reservoir, the solution-gas drive area was selected for the planned steam-drive project. The area in the vicinity of Well S1 3 (Fig. 2) was considered to be suitable since it is at least partly isolated from the rest of the field by faults and the sand is relatively thick (about 80 ft).

Jan 1, 1969

By S. Brunauer

The hydration of portland cement is treated as a chemical reaction and the changes in matter, in energy and the rate of change of the process are discussed, Portland cement is a mixture of four major and at least as many important minor constituents. In the hydration process, the four major compounds (trical-cium silicate, dicalcium silicate, tricalcium alumi-nate and tetracalcium aluminoferrite), plus gypsum and water form five or six new compounds. In spite o the great complexity of the reaction, considerable progress has been made in its understanding, primarily with the help of such research tools as X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy. The rate of the reaction can be followed by direct and indirect methods of measurements. The effects o composition, particle size (or specific surface), temperature and water-cement ratio on the rates of hydration are discussed. The hydration of portland cement is a chemical reaction accompanied by such highly important physical phenomena as heat evolution, setting and hardening. It is a vast and complex subject, on which hundreds of papers have been published. At the time of the writing of this paper, in October 1962, a two-volume book, which alone contains dozens of papers pertaining to cement hydration appeared in print.' The present paper deals with a few aspects of this vast subject, and the selection was not easy. The work reported here deals with some of the most recent investigations in the field. In any chemical reaction, the physical chemist is primarily interested in three things: changes in matter, changes in energy and the rate of change of the process or the speed of the reaction. This is true also of the chemical reaction between portland cement and water, and all three aspects of the reaction will be discussed. These three aspects are of vital interest to the engineer as well. Portland cement is not a cementing material — the hydration products, the new materials which form in the reaction, have the cementing action. The energy changes manifest themselves in a considerable evolution of heat, which may be useful or harmful. It is useful, for example, in winter concreting, but in very large concrete structures like dams, a large evolution of heat, which cannot be easily dissipated, may produce distress in the structure. Primarily for such a purpose was the Type IV or low heat portland cement developed. The speed of the chemical reaction is important because it determines the time of setting and hardening. The initial reaction must be slow enough to permit placing of the concrete before setting occurs. On the other hand, after the placing of concrete it is often highly desirable to obtain as rapid chemical reaction as possible. For this purpose the Type 111 or high early strength portland cement was developed. CHANGES IN MATTER Portland Cement: In a basic investigation, before one begins to study a reaction, one either knows the quantities and compositions of the starting materials, the reactants, or one determines them. This is obvious; the chemist expresses the changes in matter that occur in a reaction by a chemical equation, which has the quantities and compositions of the reactants on the left side of the equation and the quantities and compositions of the reaction products on the right side. The first question is then what to put on the left side of the equation in the reaction between portland cement and water? It is not very easy to answer this question. Portland cement is not a single chemical compound but a mixture of many compounds. Four of these are considered the major compounds, and at least four of the minor compounds also play important roles in the hydration reaction. In order to avoid complicating matters, the present discussion will be restricted primarily to the four major compounds, which constitute usually more than 90% of a portland cement. The relative amounts of these compounds vary from cement to cement. Actually not only the amounts but the compositions of these constituents also vary to some extent, but the variation in composition of the individual components will be neglected for simplicity.

Jan 1, 1963

By E. H. Bunce, H. M. Haslam

The "direct process" for the manufacture of pigment zinc oxide produces the oxide directly from ore. This is accomplished by reducing the zinc by means of carbonaceous fuels and immediately burning the evolved zinc vapor to zinc oxide. For many years this was done by smelting a loose charge of ore and fuel on perforated grates. Since this process was developed in America and was extensively used here, it has become known as the "American process." Alternative methods of producing pigment zinc oxide are the "indirect process " and the "wet process." In the indirect process the raw material is metallic zinc, which is volatilized and burned to the oxide. For a long time this has been done in externally fired horizontal refractory retorts. This process has become known as the "French process," from the country of its origin. The wet process precipitates the carbonate or hydrate from zinc-bearing liquors and then calcines the precipitate. This method has been but sparingly used for producing commercial quantities of zinc oxide. It appears to be advisable to restrict the use of the terms "American process" and "French process" to the methods of the earlier periods and to consider the terms "direct process" and "indirect process" as generic terms to designate, first, all methods of producing pigment zinc oxide directly from ores, and, second, to include all those methods of producing zinc oxide from metallic zinc and metallic zinc-bearing substances. American Process In 1796 John Atkinson was granted British Patent No. 2094/1796 entitled, "Manufacture of White Paint." This patent describes a method of producing zinc oxide in which roasted zinc blende or calcined calamine is mixed with charcoal, and the mixture heated in a muffle to liberate zinc vapor, which is then burned to obtain zinc oxide fume. About 1850 The New Jersey Zinc Co., at its plant in Newark, N. J., attempted to make zinc oxide by smelting, in a reverberatory furnace, a mixture of coal and ore from its Franklin mine. A considerable amount

Jan 1, 1937

By W. C. Hellyer, R. A. Campbell

In single-stage autogenous grinding, the buildup of a critical size fraction in the media can be corrected by removing this material through pebble ports, crushing it below the critical size range, and recycling the crusher product back to the mill. The rate at which the critical sire fraction is crushed affects the size distribution of the grinding media and this in turn affects the sire distribution of the grate discharge. This provides a means for controlling the grind produced by a single-stage autogenous grinding unit. The pilot-plant investigations on a very hard copper ore were carried out at the facilities of the Institute of Mineral Research, Michigan Technological University. In an autogenous grinding circuit in which feed at approximately 9 in. top size is reduced to a size suitable for subsequent processing, the build-up of a "critical size" fraction in the media causes problems. A "critical size" fraction has been defined as, "media too small to effect reduction by impact grinding of ore coarser than a quarter of an inch and too large to be broken by the largest size of media in the charge."' The buildup of a critical size fraction reduces the capacity of the mill, increases the grinding power requirements per ton of finished product, and generally produces a finer grind than is desired. It is general practice to overcome this problem by the addition of large-diameter steel balls to the grinding charge. This has certain disadvantages, such as 1) an increase in mill liner wear, 2) wear on the steel balls, and 3) some loss in flexibility in grinding circuit opera-tions resulting from difficulties in removing the steel balls by means other than by grinding out. A number of investigators' have suggested the use of a small crusher as an alternative to the use of large steel balls for control of a critical size fraction. With this technique the critical size fraction is removed from the mill continuously through suitable-sized pebble ports, crushed below the critical size range, and returned to the mill. An external crusher would cause no increase in mill liner wear, the wear on the crusher would be less expensive than the wear on the steel balls, and the flexibility of the grinding circuit operations would be enhanced since the crusher can be cut into and out of the circuit at will. This paper describes an autogenous grinding pilot plant investigation on a very hard copper ore, which led to the selection of an autogenous grinding flowsheet incorporating a crusher in the circuit as the preferred method for grinding this ore. Further development of the technique demonstrated that the crusher could be employed to control the product produced by an autogenous grinding unit. Description of Pilot Plant These investigations were carried out at the pilot-plant facilities of the Institute of Mineral Research, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Mich. The autogenous grinding unit was a 6-ft-diam by 2-ft-long Hardinge Cascade mill with %-in. slotted steel grates. Pebble ports cut into the grates allowed passage of pebbles having a top size of approximately 21/2 in. The grate and pebble-port discharge material passed over a 3/16-in, trommel screen with the trommel under -size being pumped to the classification device. DSM screens were employed for classification in the early investigations, but were replaced later by a small Dorr rake classifier. The trommel oversize material returned to the mill via scissor conveyors. When the crusher was incorporated into the circuit, the trommel oversize material passed to a double-deck vibrating screen fitted with 2-in. and 3/4-in. square mesh screen cloths. The $ 2-in. and the —2 +3/4-in. size fractions were combined and crushed to a nominal 1 in. in a 4 x 6-in. jaw crusher. The crusher discharge and the —3/4-in. screen undersize returned to the mill. In the final investigation, a flap gate fitted to the top deck of the screen directed the — 21/2 +2-in. size fraction to the crusher or back to the grinding mill. The flap gate operated manually on a 15-min cycle, with this material being crushed for so many minutes out of each cycle. This was found to be a more reliable method of controlling the amount of — 21/2 +2-in. material crushed than attempting to make a split of a small weight of material on a continuous basis. Operational Techniques: Each sample was sized into three fractions and the Cascade mill feed was reconstituted from these size fractions in the proportions existing in the original sample. Sufficient feed for 15 min operation was weighed out and fed by hand over a 15-min period. The gross mill power draft was recorded every 15 min, corrected for tare power and drive efficiency, and reported as net kilowatt-hours per ton. A recording kilo-watt-hour meter provided a continuous visual record of the power drawn by the mill. Pulp densities of the trommel undersize and the classifier overflow (or DSM undersize) were taken every 15 min. The classifier overflow was sampled automatically. Timed samples of the classifier sands were taken every 15 or 30 min, weighed, and returned to the circuit. After correcting for moisture content, the weights were converted into percent circulating load. Timed samples of the +2 in., the —2 + 3/4-in., —3/4-in. screen fractions, and the crusher discharge, were

Jan 1, 1971

By R. D. Carnahan, J. E. White

A study of dispersion strengthening in TD-Nickel (nickel plus 2 vol pct Tho2) was conducted employing microstrain techniques at ambient room temperature. It was found that optimum strength was due primarily to the incorporation of stored energy developed by a variety of thermal-mechanical treatments. The relatively low strength of the recrys-tallized condition implies that the dispersed particles themselves offer only token resistance to deformation. The development of resistance to large-scale recovery or recrystallization at temperatures near the melting point requires a more extensive sequence of strain-anneal cycles than does the development of optimum strength. A micro-Bauschinger effect was observed which appears to be related to the lattice resistance to the movement of free dislocations. The effect was nearly identical to that in pure nickel indicating that the presence of the dispersed phase and considerably increased dislocation density (stored energy) only alters the number or effectiveness of barriers. THE early stages of deformation of engineering materials can be conveniently studied by utilizing strain-gage techniques which permit resolution of strains less than 5 X 10-7 in. per in. for testing in four-point bending (Carnahan and white1). The present investigation, part of a continuing study on the very early stages of deformation, was designed to reveal the true role of a dispersed phase in promoting high strength in a commercially available dispersion-strengthened alloy. Although this technique has been used for some time to study microdeformation in pure metals and alloys, it has just recently received attention as a means of investigating dispersion strengthening. Studying the very early stages of deformation in alloys which depend upon a finely dispersed inert phase for strength may prove to be a very important method for a better understanding of these materials. It is essential to obtain considerable clarification of actual dislocation movement and the kinds of deformation barriers which exist before optimum properties can be designed into this type of material with any degree of confidence. Considerable research on a variety of dispersion-strengthened materials has resulted in two different schools of thought regarding the strengthening mechanism. One faction2-4 favors the idea that the particles themselves resist the motion of dislocations. The criterion for yielding is the fracture of the dispersed second-phase particles due to an array of piled-up dislocations. Other invesfigators5-a have shown that particles are effective primarily by allowing a greater buildup of stored energy or dislocation density through thermal-mechanical treatments in the composite than the pure matrix material. The particles themselves, then, are not exclusive obstacles, but the complex network of particles, dislocation tangles, subboundaries, and grain boundaries are strength determining. The development of such a complex dislocation network in SAP has been studied recently in some detail by Goodrich and Ansell. The ability of dispersion-strengthened alloys to resist softening or recrystallization is also of considerable importance; however, the criteria for maximum stability may not necessarily be those for maximum strength. In this study, in addition to the evaluation of the microstrain properties of TD-Nickel, it is felt that considerable clarification of the true dependence of strength and stability on the dispersed phase is shown. I) MATERIAL AND PROCEDURE TD-Nickel is a dispersion-strengthened alloy developed by the E. I. DuPont de Nemours Co., which contains 2 vol pct thoria (Tho2) in a pure-nickel matrix. The average ThO2 particle size is approximately 0.1 p and the interparticle spacing is less than 1 u. The material was supplied by DuPont in two conditions: hot-extruded bar stock, and stress-relieved cold-rolled sheet 0.025 in. in thickness. The bar was extruded at 2200°F from a cold-pressed and sintered billet. The sheet stock was prepared from the extruded material by a process involving ten or more 50-pct cold reductions by rolling with intermediate anneals at 1800° to 2000°F. Test specimens used in this study were prepared in the form of rectangular parallelepipeds measuring 0.375 by 1.375 in. in thicknesses ranging from 0.025 to 0.040 in. Samples prepared from sheet and extruded stock were mechanically polished before heat treatment and were handled with extreme

Jan 1, 1964

By S. D. Strauss

The marketing of nonferrous metals and of the ores and concentrates from which these metals are recovered is a fascinating trade, international in character, sensitive to every change in the economic tide, and complex in its organization. Each individual metal has its own marketing mechanism; no two are exactly alike. The differences sometimes are a matter of tradition rather than of necessity, but usually they have developed because of the very nature of the problems of producing or consuming the individual metal. This description, because of limitations of space, can do no more than indicate the major aspects of the trade and touch lightly on the marketing structure of each metal. The dictionary states that a market is a "meeting of people for selling and buying." In the case of nonferrous metals this meeting may occur on a half-dozen different occasions between the time the ore has been first mined and the time the refined metal is available for use by industry; or it may not occur at all until after the metal itself has been rolled, drawn, stamped, cast, or forged into a useful semifabricated shape. To illustrate: A Chilean miner may sell his small ore production to a custom mill, which produces concentrates that are sold to an ore dealer, who finances shipments of the concentrate to a custom smelter, which buys them for conversion into blister, to be subsequently refined into electrolytic copper (sometimes by a refinery having no corporate ties with the custom smelter) and sold. Conversely, aluminum production is mostly by integrated concerns that mine bauxite, convert it to alumina, smelt that to produce aluminum, and then fabricate that into semifinished or even finished products before title to the material changes hands for the first time. Some nonferrous ores are not converted into metal at all but are sold by the miners or dealers directly to the ultimate consumers. A good example would be chrome ores used by the chemical industry. And of course a substantial part of the commerce in nonferrous metals is in scrap, which is the reconversion into useful form of metals that have long since been mined and smelted. Thus, one-third of all the lead used in the United

Jan 1, 1964

By A. S. Richardson

THe conditions that make necessary the mechanical ventilation of the Butte mines of the Anaconda Copper Mining Go. are due to a number of causes, all of which are incidental to the depth at which mining operations are now carried on, The main object to be accomplished, of course, is the reduction of the temperature and humidity of the air in the working places. Ventilation fans, both surface and underground, have been used for many years, but increasing depth has made the problem much more difficult. Further improvement in both ventilation equipment and methods, therefore, became necessary; and it is the purpose of this paper to describe the work planned and done under the improvement program. The mines of the district have been frequently described in various technical publications, so a description is unnecessary here. From a mine-ventilation viewpoint, compared with coal-mine ventilation systems, the problem is complicated by the fact that the workings to be ventilated are situated on a large number of steeply dipping veins which frequently intersect and are faulted, and also by the fact that the extent, or existence, of orebodies is not definitely known in advance of actual development work. For these reasons ventilation work cannot be planned in advance of actual operations, nor can such regular systems of ventilation as are used in working the more uniform and continuous bodies of coal be developed. When operations are conducted at a normal rate, about 10,000 miners are employed on two shifts, so that about 5000 men will be underground at one time. But as ventilation is necessary to reduce high temperature and humidity due, mainly, to natural causes, the quantity of air per man per minute is not a governing consideration in determining ventilation requirements. Most important among the numerous sources of heat and humidity in the mines are: heat generated during decay of mine timber; heat and humidity given off by mine rock and water; heat generated by oxidation of sulfide minerals; heat given off by electrical equipment; heat generated by mine fires (in certain localities).

Jan 1, 1923

By A. C. Heath, E. H. Dix

THE importance of aluminum-silicon alloys in the light alloy field is now generally recognized. Where silicon was once considered detrimental to the properties of aluminum, useful alloys now contain as much as 13 per cent. Furthermore, silicon is present as an impurity in aluminum of even the purest grades. Iron is another important impurity in aluminum and like silicon is found in small quantities in the purest aluminum available today. The manner of occurrence of iron and silicon in commercially pure aluminum and many of its alloys exerts a very pronounced influence upon their properties. The effect of large quantities of iron in aluminum-silicon alloys is so detrimental that it has been found necessary to limit the allowable maximum percentage to as low a figure as is consistent with quantity production and satisfactory physical properties. The intimate relation existing between iron and silicon in aluminum and aluminum alloys makes necessary a more complete knowledge of this ternary system. This paper is divided into two principal parts, dealing respectively with aluminum-silicon solubility equilibria and the constitution of aluminum-iron-silicon alloys. PART I.-ALUMINUM-SILICON ALLOYS The early work on this system was largely confined to determining the general form of the diagram and in this respect the results are in good agreement. Briefly, aluminum and silicon form a simple eutectiferous series without compounds. Until recently the solid solubility of silicon in aluminum had not been accurately determined. Fraenkel1 (1908) stated that aluminum will retain 0.5 per cent. silicon in solid solution. Rosenhain, Archbutt and Hanson2 gave the maximum solubility as about 1.50 per cent. and added that "this solubility does not appear

Jan 1, 1928

By K. A. Jackson, J. D. Hunt

A new classification of eutectics is proposed, based on tlze entvopies of wzelting of the tuio eutectic phases. The clnssification was used to predict suitable tvansparent analogs of the metallic systems. Experimental confir?nation loas obtained for the theovetical shape of the lamellar solid-liquid interface, fov the fault mechanisms of lanzellar spacing changes, and for the development of low-energy solid-solid boundaries between the lamellae. An explanation is presented to account jov the irvegular and coinplex regular structures zrhich are found in some eritectic systems. FrOM experimental observations, single-phase materials can be divided into two groups according to their solidification characteristics, those that grow as faceted crystals and those that do not. acksonl' showed from thermodynamic reasoning that the type of growth depended on a factor a which was almost thg entropy of melting. Most nonmetals have high entropies of melting (a greater than 2) and grow with crystalline facets. Most metals have low entropies of melting (CY less than 2) and grow almost isotropically with no facets. The authors propose that eutectics may be classified in a similar manner. There are three groups of eutectics, those in which both phases have low entropies of melting, those in which one phase has a high and the other phase has a low entropy of melting, and those in which both phases have high entropies of melting. Lamellar or rodlike structures are formed in systems in which both phases have low entropies of melting. In these alloys dendrites of either phase may be formed, when the alloy is rich in the relevant component. Examples are Pb-Sn, Sn-Cd, Pb-Cd, Sn-Zn, Al-Zn. Irregular, Fig. 14((), or complex regular, Fig. 14(b), structures are formed in alloys in which one phase has a high entropy of melting and the other has a low entropy of melting. Examples are A1-Si, Zn-MgzZnll, Pb-Bi, Sn-Bi. When the alloys are rich in the low entropy of melting phase, dendrites are formed; when the alloys are rich in the high entropy of melting phase, faceted primary crystals are produced. These crystals are sometimes called hoppers or pseudodendrites. In this work the term dendrite will only be used to describe nonfaceted primary crystals. Dendrites are not formed during solidification in high entropy of melting single-phase materials. The third group of eutectics includes alloys in which both phases have high entropies of melting. Each phase grows with a faceted solid-liquid interface. Since most metals do not have high entropies of melting, metallic examples in this eutectic group are rare. However they may occur between some intermetallics and semiconductors or semimetals such as silicon, germanium, and bismuth. Attempts have been made to study eutectic solidification visually by watching the growth process.374 Since metals are not transparent, the observations had to be made on external surfaces. This difficulty can be overcome by using transparent analogs of the metallic systems. As was mentioned earlier, most single-phase compounds have entropies of melting greater than 2 and so grow as faceted crystals. Recently organic materials with entropies of melting less than 2 were investigated.' These materials grow in exactly the same way as the low entropy of melting metals. When the materials are pure, they grow with a solid-liquid interface parallel to an isotherm; when they are impure, cells or dendrites are formed. Since these materials are transparent, have low melting points, and even have cubic structures, they should be ideal for making up transparent analogs of the metallic eutectics. The purpose of the present work was to investigate these organic eutectics and to see whether this quite different series of eutectics could be classified in the same way as the metallic systems. The observations made on the organic alloys are also discussed with reference to the current theories of lamellar growth. Explanations are proposed to account for the structures formed in the other eutectic groups. EXPERIMENTAL Thin cells containing the organic alloys were uni-direction ally solidified on a specially constructed microscope stage.' Uniform growth rates were obtained by moving the cells, with a motor drive, through a fixed temperature gradient, so that the solid-liquid interface remained stationary with respect to the microscope objective lens. The cells were made by fusing two microscope cover slides 7/8 by 7/8 by 1/100 in. together on three sides, leaving a gap of 1 to 3 mils between the slides, and these were filled by surface tension. A preliminary investigation of the phase diagram between two components could be made very rapidly. One side of the cell was filled with component A and the other side with component B. Since only a small amount of mixing could occur every composition from pure A to pure B was present in the cell. When the cell was placed in the temperature gradient a pictorial representation of the phase diagram was obtained. Eutectics, peritectics, "interorganics", and solid -solid transformations could be readily detected. Fig. 1 shows part of a eutectic phase diagram. The Sample was first grown slowly then stopped. The two

Jan 1, 1967

By A. H. Grobe, F. N. Rhines

AT elevated temperatures the oxide of silver is unstable in the air at atmospheric pressure, consequently no external oxide scale forms upon pure silver under conditions of high-temperature annealing. When small quantities of certain alloying elements are present in the silver, the formation of a thin external scale is possible' and in addition there may form a subscale composed of the oxide of the solute element precipitated within the body of the silver. Norbury2 and Leroux and Raub3 have reported internal oxidation (subscale forma¬tion) in alloys of silver with 2, 7.5, and 30 per cent of copper. The presence of the subscale is believed to be responsible, at least in part, for the objectionable "fire mark" in Sterling silver.4 Several other alloys of silver, after oxidizing heat-treatments, are known to exhibit undesirable polishing characteristics that may be the result of internal oxidation. Except for the absence of an external scale of silver oxide, it is to be anticipated that silver alloys will prove to be very similar in their oxidation behavior to the alloys of copper, the oxidation characteristics of which have been studied in some detail5,6 The present research confirms this anticipation. The oxidation of a series of 20 dilute alloys of silver has been studied metallographically; some types of subscale not encountered among the copper alloys have been found. Instances of internal oxidation in alloys of most of the metals of the I-b and VIII groups of the periodic system are on record, but evidence of this type of oxidation in alloys of the metals of the intermediate groups is lacking. A number of the metals of the intermediate group, among them cadmium, lead, tin, and zinc, appear to provide the conditions essential to subscale formation; i.e., they form oxides with a relatively low negative free energy of formation, they dissolve other metals that form more stable oxides, and, presumably, oxygen will diffuse through them. In a study of 4o alloys of these white metals only a few cases of internal oxidation have been found. The probable reasons for this difference in behavior will be discussed presently. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Silver.-The silver alloys employed in the oxidation studies were prepared in heats of 30 grams each from high-purity silver (99.993 per cent Ag)* and the purest avail-

Jan 1, 1942

By D. M. Milne, R. F. Stoner, W. Bakiewicz

The Lower Indus Basin deposits form a substantial unconfined alluvial aquifer of excellent quality. This aquifer contains basically highly saline groundwater, overlain in places by considerable amounts of fresh water whose origin can be traced to the present and historical courses of the River Indus. In the past, the main source of groundwater recharge has been direct river seepage and water tables were generally deep. Since the establishment of a perennial irrigation regime however, deep percolation from the increased irrigation supplies has predominated and the water table has risen to within a few feet of the surface. The river system itself is being progressively devel-oped for irrigation and very shortly a situation will arise where the entire low winter flow will be utilized. Fresh groundwater will then be exploited to supplement the surface supplies, and at the same time a drainage system, mainly based on wells will be used to stabilize the water table at safe depths. This paper discusses some of the methods used to ensure optimum economic development of the fresh groundwater and describes the general design philosophy evolved by the authors' firms for both irrigation and drainage wells, with respect to both well configuration and operation. Water quality standards are discussed insofar as they affect subsequent use of the groundwater. A few particular aspects are considered, including the values of the relevant aquifer constants, the construction of wells, and the determination of screen losses. A major problem solved during the Lower Indus Project investigations has been the design of wells to produce fresh water from layers overlying saline water. This solution is also discussed. The recent interest in the groundwater of the Lower Indus Plains of West Pakistan has two main aspects. Firstly, soil waterlogging and the associated salinity hazards caused by rising water tables are a serious problem in agriculture, and the ease with which drainage requirements can be met by aquifer pumping makes this an obvious solution. The second interest stems from the rapid intensification of irrigation agriculture and the growing shortage of water supplies. In the areas where the groundwater is of suitable quality it can be used immediately for irrigation at relatively small cost and with large financial returns. In addition, the aquifer forms a potential storage reservoir which could be recharged from high river flows and depleted by pumping at times of scarcity. SOURCE OF GROUNDWATER The Lower Indus plain is a relatively long and narrow alluvial basin on a north-south axis, some 23,000 sq miles in area, bounded by higher land to the east and west. One hypothesis to explain the distribution and quality of groundwater in the region1 presupposes a river system considerably larger than, but very similar to the present river. This is characterized by a single mainstream, with subsidiary overspill channels in times of flood, running along the crest of a self-deposited ridge and with an extensive advancing delta. Sea water is contained in the alluvial pores of the advancing delta, forming the native groundwater. This has been partially displaced from two sources, namely direct seepage of fresh water from the river channel in meander flood plain areas and percolation from flood spillage in cover flood plain areas. Percolation has been subject to much re-evaporation and is thus slightly saline even as it reaches the groundwater. The whole complex has been further affected by two main influences: evapotranspiration from the land surface that tends to salinize the groundwater and down-valley flow that tends to bring fresher water

Jan 1, 1970

By K. F. Veith, R. L. Marovelli, T. S. Chen

An analytical study is made of thermal stress distribution in a thin circular disc subjected to a peripheral thermal shock at various rates of heat transfer. The problem is of importance in predicting the thermal shock response of a rock body of finite size. The theoretical analysis is based on radial heat flow by conduction in the disc and heat exchange by convection between the disc and the surroundings. The case of constant properties and plane stress is treated. Solutions of the stress distribution are presented for both cooling and heating shocks and an average stress theory is formulated. Preliminary experimental verification was obtained from the results of shock tests on thin rock discs insulated on both flat end faces so that heat exchange took place through the exposed peripheral surface. Physical properties vital to the analysis are Young's modulus, tensile strength, coefficient of linear thermal expansion, thermal diffusivity and thermal conductivity. Plots of these properties are presented. Historically, thermal energy has been used for primary rock removal throughout the ages. Although it is not widely known, the fire-setting method of thermal rock fragmentation was still in use 100 years ago in systematic underground mining operations in Scandinavia.' There, the availability of cheap labor and abundant wood fuel made the method competitive with the early blasting powders. By 1880, as high explosives replaced powder, use of the method declined and it was finally abandoned about 1885. Only 40 years ago, some experimental fire-setting methods were used for rock removal underground at Pribram and Zinnwald in Central Europe.2 Compressed air-oil burners replaced the earlier wood fuels. About 15 years ago, gaseous oxygen-oil burners were introduced in the United States and gained acceptance for difficult blasthole drilling and some quarry opera- tions. At present, there is renewed interest in the compressed air-oil burner designs. The literature included information on thermal secondary processes for rock weakening or particle liberation3,4,5,6,7,8 on thermal spallation of rock 9,10,11,12,13 and on the thermal fracture of materials other than rock. The 1955 Symposium on Thermal Fracture14 and the later work of Hassel-man, cover recent developments in thermal shock investigations on brittle ceramics. Although the number of published analytical and experimental investigations conducted on ceramic and refractory materials is large, the literature reveals that there is a lack of information on both the theoretical and actual response of rock to thermal shock. Many of the thermal shock studies on ceramic and refractory bodies are based on the case of heat transfer at the solid's surface by convection in either liquid or air. A similar heat transfer situation was adopted for a theoretical analysis of the thermal stresses in a thin circular disc subjected to a peripheral thermal shock. Experimental thermal shock tests were then conducted on rock specimens to check the analytical results. Specially insulated quartzite, basalt and taconite discs were shocked in either liquid or still air bath at various rates of heat transfer. The work was done in order to resolve the question as to whether theoretically determined tensile stresses are actually realized in a finite rock body undergoing thermal shock. Specifically, if theory predicts that the tensile strength of a rock should be exceeded in a particular type of controlled thermal shock, will fracture occur? This information is needed by Bureau researchers working on thermal and electrical rock fragmentation methods. The object of this paper is to present the main features of the theory and procedure being used in the authors' approach to quantitative prediction of rock response to a thermal shock. THEORETICAL ANALYSIS In the analysis to follow, simple geometry of a thin circular disc is considered. The disc is assumed to be isotropic, homogeneous and perfectly elastic, and to have constant thermal and mechanical properties. The effect of radiation is neglected so that heat is transferred by conduction inside the disc and by convection with its surrounding. In addition, the end

Jan 1, 1967

By Charles T. Malcomson

In the United States, improvements in methods of combustion have made possible the use of the smaller sizes of anthracite. This coal is now being reclaimed from the culm banks accumulated by the miners in the more prodigal years. To-day the freshly mined "slush" is segrega,ted and stored against the time when, through briquetting or some other means, it may be utilized as a commercial fuel. For many years Europe has achieved enviable results in the conservation of her small coal by briquetting. This profitable industry, first placed on a commercial basis in France in 1842, has grown to such magnitude that the production during 1913 exceeded 36,000,000 short tons. Briquets produced in Great Britain are used principally for steam purposes and the greater part of the output is either exported or taken by the Admiralty. On the Continent the briquets are sold in all branches of the coal trade. The French railways consume from 16 to 40 per cent. of their fuel in briquet form, and in Germany the lignite briquets (of which 20,000,000 tons were produced in 1913) are as familiar and interesting to the American traveler as the huge porcelain stoves in which they are burned. It is not strange, therefore, that aggressive and far-sighted promoters heralded this means of converting our ubiquitous coal waste into revenue. To the superficial student the briquetting process seemed so simple as to make success easy. It is for this reason principally that the path of the industry in America has been strewn with failures. The rash enthusiast had either not worked out the mechanical problems involved or had failed to grasp the local conditions under which the briquets must be made and sold. It may be confidently stated, however, that in spite of the many vicissitudes through which it has passed, coal briquetting is now an accomplished economic success in this country, and as a profitable adjunct to the coal industry it has come to stay. Several valuable contributions relating to coal briquetting are found in the Transactions. Charles Dorrance, Jr., has sketched briefly the history of the anthracite briquetting plants from the time of Loiseau's pioneer plant down to that of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co. at Lans-ford. Since then this phase of the industry has remained practically at

Jan 1, 1915

By Earl Ingerson

BORE surfaces of used guns commonly show a pattern of cracks in various degrees of development. It has been suggested that these cracks may aid erosion by providing channelways for the gases, eventually leading to the tearing out of blocks of metal. Under the general studies of gun erosion conducted at the Geophysical Laboratory it appeared desirable to consider this factor, and to determine the resistance to surface cracking offered by gun steel and by various other materials that might be used in the bores of guns. METHOD AND APPARATUS In order to make such a determination it is necessary to have (I) an arrangement in which the surface to be studied can be subjected to conditions similar to those in a gun with respect to temperature, pressure (developed by explosion gases), composition of the gases and length of time the surface is exposed to the gases; and (2) a specimen that can be examined readily after any number of shots, and then fired again, if necessary. The first of these conditions can be met by using an explosion vessel designed by H. S. Roberts of the Geophysical Laboratory. Fig I shows a cross section of the apparatus. The "gun" G from which the charge is fired is made from the receiver of a caliber 0.30 army rifle, M1903, and the charges are prepared in caliber 0.30 cartridge cases. The test specimen S is held in place by a cone-shaped plug P and by a steel ,bridge B which is bolted to the outside of the explosion vessel on either side of the section shown. The plug, in turn, is held in place by a screw collar C. Maximum pressure is controlled by a brass rupture disk R. Part of the explosion gases flow past the two flat areas on S. st the two flat areas on S. Temperature and composition of gases, and the time before the rupture disk breaks, can be controlled by amount and kind of powder used, and pressure can be controlled by using rupture disks of different thickness. While the explosion vessel used was not designed so that temperature and pressure could be measured, in other vessels of closely similar size and shape containing proportionate charges of the same kind of powder as that used for standard testing procedure, values of 2700°K and 5000 psi were obtained. Since the orifices past the flat areas on the plug are small compared to the rupture disk hole (1:16), most of the gas goes out through the rupture disk when it breaks. The amount that goes by the plug depends on (I) the pressure attained before the rupture disk breaks and (2) the time it takes for this pressure to be built UP. The second condition (examination at will after any firing) is met by using for specimens short rods that have flat areas ground on opposite sides. These flat

Jan 1, 1947

By A. L. Barnes

Residual oil in watered-out reservoirs is a tremendous reserve which has been unrecoverable by established production methods. A study of the new recovery methods indicated that the forward combustion urocess might- recover oil from such reservoirs; however, no thermal recovery operating experience in a watered-out system was available. The Delaware-Childers pilot thermal test was undertaken to test the feasibility of thermal recovery in this watered-out reservoir. The pilot test consisted of a 2.22-acre, inverted five-spot in the 600-ft deep Bartlesville sand. The reservoir in the pilot area had a porosity of 20.6 per cent, a permeability of 118 md and an average sand thickness of 45 ft. The reservoir contains a 33' API, 6-cp oil. Combustion was started Nov. 22, 1960. The initial air injection capacity was 750 Mscf/D, but it was eventually increased to 2,000 Mscf/D. The test was surrounded by an active water flood; therefore, water production was initially high, but decreased as the heat wave moved toward the producing wells. Oil-bank arrival at an individual well was indicated by a drop in GOR and WOR, and an increase in oil production. Combustion-front arrival was evident at three of the pilot producers, and they were plugged. Cumulative oil production from pilot area wells war over 12,000 bbl. Operational difficulties were negligible and only conventional equipment was necessary. The combustion efficiency of this test averaged over 80 per cent. Results from coring showed that the leading edge of the combustion front tended to be wedge-shaped but a nearly complete sweep of the reservoir was eventually obtained. An isopach map based on evidence from 10 core holes and the existing wells showed that 126 acre-ft had been swept by the heat wave. Using this swept volume, an air requirement of 15.7 MMscf/acre-ft was calculated. It was calculated that 275 ,STB/acre-ft was consumed bv the heat wave. INTRODUCTION There is a large amount of oil remaining in reservoirs that have been water flooded. A study of ways to recover this oil showed that the forward combustion process might be applicable. Results from a number of forward combustion tests have been reported in the literature, but none of these tests were conducted in a watered-out system. The Delaware-Childers pilot thermal test was initiated in 1960 to define the operating characteristics of underground combustion in this watered-out Bartlesville sand reservoir, The purpose of this paper is to present the pilot test results in detail. FORWARD COMBUSTION PROCESS The forward combustion process consists of initiating combustion in the formation surrounding an injection well and driving this heat wave through the formation toward offset producing wells. As the combustion front progresses through the reservoir, oil and formation water are vaporized, driven forward in the gaseous phase, and recon-densed in the cooler part of the formation. These distilled liquids, water of combustion and gaseous combustion products, form a bank or three-phase region ahead of the burning front. This bank pushes mobile reservoir fluids toward the production wells. The rate of movement of the combustion front is controlled by the rate at which the nondistill able residue which serves as process fuel can be completely burned off the sand. The production performance from a heat wave conducted in a watered-out oil reservoir will differ from one conducted in a dissolved gas-depleted reservoir because of the difference in fluid saturations. The primary depleted reservoir contains connate water saturation, relatively high oil saturation and some gas saturation. The watered-out reservoir contains a highly mobile water saturation, residual oil saturation and little gas saturation. As the combustion front moves forward in either type of depleted reservoir, it drives the distillable oil, the water in place and the water of combustion ahead, and burns the nondistillable portion of the oil. The heat-wave process in a watered-out reservoir differs from the process in a

Jan 1, 1966