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By L. W. Kemph, K. R. VanHorn

During the recent development of aluminum alloys for free-cutting screw-machine rod, it became desirable to know something of the solubility of lead and bismuth in liquid aluminum and in some aluminum alloys. The literature is not particularly helpful in supplying this information. These portions, therefore, of the constitutional relationships of aluminum-bismuth and aluminum-lead alloys were investigated by thermal analysis and by chemical analysis of samples taken from aluminum-rich melts in equilibrium with precipitated lead or bismuth. The solubility of lead and bismuth in some liquid aluminum-copper alloys was also investigated. Some consideration was also given to the solubility of these elements in solid aluminum. Among the earliest investigators of the aluminum-lead and alunlinum-bismuth systems was Wright,' who reported that melts of aluminum and lead formed two layers indicating limited liquid solubility. Under his conditions, the aluminum-rich layer was reported to contain 1.91 per cent Pb and the lead-rich layer, 0.07 per cent Al. Subsequently, Pecheau2 found that in aluminum-rich alloy melts with more than 10 per cent Pb three layers were distinguishable. He reported that the middle layer contained from 3 to 10 per cent Pb. He also found that the melting point of aluminum appeared to be lowered slightly by the addition of lead. Gwyer3 investigated these alloys and found evidence of a slight lowering of the freezing point of aluminum by the addition of either lead or bismuth. He found no evidence of solid solubility in either case and made no attempt to determine the liquidus curves. Hansen and Blumen-tha14 reported that the addition of lead distinctly lowered the solidification point of aluminum. They also found that bismuth lowered the melting point of aluminum. Guillet5 reported almost complete mutual immiscibility for the aluminum-bismuth alloys in the liquid state. Bohner6 examined the effect of various concentrations of lead and bismuth on the electrical conductivity of aluminum. He found decreases in conductivity on annealing at 500' C. as compared with the conductivity of the same alloys on annealing at 300' C.

Jan 1, 1939

By Herbert Clark Hoover, Lou Henry Hoover

MOST illustrious Princes, often have I considered the metallic arts as a whole, as Moderatus Columella2 considered the agricultural arts, just as if I had been considering the whole of the human body ; and when I had perceived the various parts of the subject, like so many members of the body, I became afraid that I might die before I should understand its full extent, much less before I could immortalise it in writing. This book itself indicates the length and breadth of the subject, and the number and importance of the sciences of which at least some little knowledge is necessary to miners. Indeed, the subject of mining is a very extensive one, and one very difficult to explain ; no part of it is fully dealt with by the Greek and Latin authors whose works survive ; and since the art is one of the most ancient, the most necessary and the most profitable to mankind, I considered that I ought not to neglect it. Without doubt, none of the arts is older than agriculture, but that of the metals is not , less ancient ; in fact they are at least equal and coeval, for no mortal man ever tilled a field without implements. In truth, in all the works of agricul- ture, as in the other arts, implements are used which are made from metals, or which could not be made without the use of metals ; for this reason the metals are of the greatest necessity to man. When an art is so poor that it lacks metals, it is not of much importance, for nothing is made without tools. Besides, of all ways whereby great wealth is acquired by good and honest means, none is more advantageous than mining ; for although from fields which are well tilled (not to mention other things) we derive rich yields, yet we obtain richer products from mines ; in fact, one mine is often much more beneficial to us than many fields. For this reason we learn from the history of nearly all ages that very many men have been made rich by the

Jan 1, 1950

By L. W. Kempf, K. R. Van Horn

DURING the recent development of aluminum alloys for free-cutting screw-machine rod, it became desirable to know something of the solubility of lead and bismuth in liquid aluminum and in some aluminum alloys. The literature is not particularly helpful in supplying this information. These portions, therefore, of the constitutional relationships of aluminum-bismuth and aluminum-lead alloys were investigated by thermal analysis and by chemical analysis of samples taken from aluminum-rich melts in equilibrium with precipitated lead or bismuth. The solubility of lead and bismuth in some liquid aluminum-copper alloys was also investigated. Some consideration was also given to the solubility of these elements in solid aluminum. Among the earliest investigators of the aluminum-lead and aluminum-bismuth systems was Wright,1 who reported that melts of aluminum and lead formed two layers indicating limited liquid solubility. Under his conditions, the aluminum-rich layer was reported to contain 1.91 per cent Pb and the lead-rich layer, 0.07 per. cent Al. Subsequently, Pecheau2 found that in aluminum-rich alloy melts with more than 10 per cent Pb three layers were distinguishable. He reported that the middle layer contained from 3 to 10 per cent Pb. He also found that the melting point of aluminum appeared to be lowered slightly by the addition of lead. Gwyer3 investigated these alloys and found evidence of a slight lowering of the freezing point of aluminum by the addition of either lead or bismuth. He found no evidence of solid solubility in either case and made no attempt to determine the liquidus curves. Hansen and Blumenthal4 reported that the addition of lead distinctly lowered the solidification point of aluminum. They also found that bismuth lowered the melting point of aluminum. Guillet5 reported almost complete mutual immiscibility for the aluminum-bismuth alloys in the liquid state. Bohner6 examined the effect of various concentrations of lead and bismuth on the electrical conductivity of aluminum. He found decreases in conductivity on annealing at 500° C. as compared with the conductivity of the same alloys on annealing at 300° C.

Jan 1, 1938

By Henry E. Armitage

The object of this paper is to give a few useful hints on the concentration of low-grade ores. The machines that I shall speak of are, Cornish rolls, revolving screens, Hartz jigs, spitz-lutte, and the Linkenbach buddle (or Roberts's patent buddle, as it is called in Colorado). I think the reason why some of them have been discarded in favor of more recent inventions is that they have not been given a fair chance to do their work in a satisfactory manner. Cornish rolls are usually looked upon as a machine designed simply to crush the ore as a preliminary to sending it to the sizingscreens, beyond which they have nothing to do with dressing the ore. On the contrary, the rolls give the key-note to the whole process. It is well known that one class of rock will crush differently from another, and from the result obtained by passing the ore through the rolls the size of the first revolving screen and the surface required on the jig-screens must be determined. If it is found that the mineral crushes clear from the quartz, a large mesh can be used on the first sizing-screen, and the tailings will not require recrushing ; but if it is found that some of the tailings from the first jig are ragged (that is, are carrying off particles of mineral sticking on the quartz), it will be necessary to recrush them. Again, if a large percentage of the tailings carry off mineral, it will be more economical to commence with a finer mesh screen than to recrush the tailings. Having determined the best mesh to use on the first sizing-screen, the different sizes on the other screens can be determined from it. I have found for practical purposes that, commencing with a 6-mesh, the next should be 8, then 12, and finally 18. The holes in the jig-screens should be a trifle larger than in the revolving screens. For instance, if the revolving screen is made of No. 14 wire, the corresponding jig-screeus should be of No. 16 wire. The jig-screen surface required for each size made depends on the may

Jan 1, 1890

By David B. Reger

The year 1936 in West Virginia was characterized by increased activity in natural gas. The number of actual completions was only slightly increased but many more wells were drilling than at the end of 1935 and there was almost feverish activity in taking new leases. This pronounced revival is partly due to the fact that the extremely cold winter of 1935-1936 showed that additional supplies of gas would be desirable and partly to the hope of finding new pools in the deeper sands. No new pools have actually been found, but the Oriskany sand (L. Dev.) development of Kanawha County, which was already assured by the end of 1935, was greatly extended into wider and richer territory. The Middle Devonian shale (Childres sand), reached incidentally by Oriskany exploration as well as by direct design, has been productive of gas in much wider areas of Boone, Lincoln, Putnam and Kanawha Counties than heretofore known. Routine drilling to the upper sands in dehed territory, also, was greatly increased, although not yet much reflected in completions. Thc supply of marketable gas, however, has been substantially enlarged. In preparation for further exploration there has been an extensive leasing campaign throughout the entire territory where gas seems at all probable, or ever possible. Exact figures are lacking, but new leases have certainly been taken on more than 1,000,000 arres. One operator estimates that 500,000 acres have been leased in the Appalachian geosyncline alone between Parkersburg and Charleston. Exploration, both for shallow and deep-sand gas, on some of these new leases is now under way. There was little activity in oil. No special search for new pools was made and none was found, but the usual routine drilling in old pools occurred. One major gas pipe-line enterprise was undertaken and completed. Operating technology was much the same as usual. In certain localities repressuring for oil has become a matter of routine, and in others the use of acid in treating small wells in calcareous beds has been continued. Financially, the year has been eventless. Some attempts to buy and

Jan 1, 1937

By C. K. Leith

ManGanese is one of the minerals which is principally consumed in countries other than origin. Nearly 85 per cent. of the world's production is used by the United States, England, Germany and France, and roughly a third of the total is used by the United States alone. On the other hand, over 85 per cent. of the world production comes from Brazil, Russia, India, the Gold Coast of Africa and the Sinai Peninsula. It follows from this fact that practically all manganese moves across international boundaries in raw or alloy form, and much the larger part of this inovement is for considerable distances and is occan bornc. There is no indication that any one of the principal consuming countries can develop even approximately adequate supplies of its own. Under abnormal war conditions, with high prices and changes in metallurgical methods, only 35 per cent. of the needs of the United States was met from local sources, and under our recent tariff only 11 per cent. There are thousands of manganese deposits scattered about the world, but only a very few which can figure largely in supplying requirements on a modern scale. The known reserves, together with highly probable extensions and explorations now under way, indicate no shortage from a world standpoint for many deeades to come. The production and marketing of manganese is going steadily into fewer and stronger hands. The steel industry uses over 90 per cent. of all the manganese mined and is acquiring control of a considerable part of the production in all of the principal fields—the Germans in Nikopol, the English in India and Gold Coast, the Americans in Georgia, India, Gold Coast and Brazil. Some of the controlling companies arc of international scope. Concentration of commercial control is a notable tendency. A natural consequence is the growing uneasiness of smaller consumers the world over about their ultimate supplies and desire to know more definitely how and where manganese supplies will be controlled in the future. The sources of supply are few cnough to warrant the belief that more or less monopolistic elements of control arc not impossible.

Jan 1, 1927

By W. A. Backofen, N. E. Paton

DEFORMATION twinning contributes to the plasticity of titanium and has been reported on {10i2}, {1121},{11221}, {1123}, and {1124} planes.' Twinning on {1011} has also been reported in commercially pure titanium as a result of quenching from 1000', but no reports of such twins occurring as a result of deformation alone are known to the authors. In this study single crystals grown from iodide titanium were compressed parallel to the c axis over the temperature range 25 to 800°C. From it has come evidence that (10il) deformation twins are the most common type between 400" and 800°C. Crystals about 6 mm high with a rectangular cross section measuring about 3 by 4 mm were used in the tests. Chemical analyses showed them to contain 220 to 250 ppm 0 arid 10 to 15 ppm N. The long axes of the crystals were made parallel to the c axis while the sides were parallel to (i100) and (1120), as shown in Fig. 1. The crystals were compressed between polished alumina platens with no lubrication, in a vacuum of 2 x lom5 torr. Between 25' and 300°C the predominant twinning mode was (11221, which is to be expected for this stress state. There was an abrupt change at 400°C, however, and from that temperature up to 800°C twinning took place almost entirely on (10i1 ). Twin planes were determined by the two-surface rnethd. Measurement of the crystal orientation within several (10i1) twins by means of polarized-light4 and transmission electron microscopy showed that the lattice reorientations were the same as those previously reported for the (10i l ) twinning in magnesium.' This reorientation is consistent with The calculated (10il ) twinning shear for titanium is 0.10, while that measured from surface offsets on a (1150) face, which is parallel to the shear direction, was about 0.15. Slip within the twins, or in the matrix adjacent to the twins, probably accounts for the larger measurement. Slip in both locations was judged to have occurred from observations on foils in the electron microscope.

Jan 1, 1970

By George C. Stone

The stack gases from regenerative furnaces lare very seldom utilized for the production of steam. If the temperature of the gases is not higher than 300" C. (572" F.) there is no economy in their use for this purpose, as the amount of available heat is very small and the temperature is so little above that of the steam that the interchange is too slow. With higher temperatures of the waste gases, however, good results can be obtained. At the plant of the New Jersey Zinc Co. (of Pa.) at Palmerton there are a number of return tubular boilers, each 6 ft. in diameter and 20 ft. long, with 96 3.5-in. tubes, which are heated by the waste gases from the spelter furnaces. These furnaces have continuous regenerators heating the air only and the stack gases reach the boilers at a temperature of about 450". The gas producers for one of these furnaces require 14 tons of anthracite (a mixture of Nos. 2 and 3 buckwheat), and the waste heat from the furnace gives a little more than 42 h.p. in steam. The boilers are not well adapted for the purpose, as they are much too large for the amount of heat going to them and the area of the tubes is not sufficient to take the gas from two furnaces without causing an objectionable amount of back pressure. The plant was built without any idea of using waste-heat boilers, and it was impossible to place the latter as close to the furnaces as they should be. Furnace and boiler are connected by an underground brick flue in which the temperature of the gas drops about 100°, losing 40 per cent. of its available heat. If the boilers were close to the furnaces the horse power of each would be 70 instead of 42. Even under these unfavorable conditions the boilers have been very advantageous, as one boiler easily supplies the steam necessary for two batteries of producers. With such low gas temperatures the heating surface of the boilers is, of course, not as efficient and the flue areas need to be considerably larger than for coal firing.

Jan 1, 1914

By R. E. H. Pomeroy

THE statistical data given in this paper are taken from the actual performance of the No. 2 reverberatory furnace of the Nevada Consolidated Copper Co., Me Gill, Nev., for a period of four months, from April to July, 1914. The principal furnace dimensions are: Length, 132 ft. ½ in. at the skim-line level; average width, 18 ft., 10 in. at the skim-line level. The roof is 7 ft. above the skim-line level at the firing end. The average area in the uptake flue is 36 sq. ft., and the area above the skim line under the vulcatory arch is 24.3 sq. ft. Fig. 1 shows a diagrammatic plan and sectional elevation of this furnace. The furnace is equipped with two 400-b.h.p. Stirling waste-heat boilers set in parallel. California crude petroleum is used for fuel and has a specific gravity of 16.5° B., flashing in open test at 199° F. The oil is heated to about 200° F. in a steam heater before going to the burners, requiring about 9 b.h.p. per furnace day to heat it from the line temperature to the burning temperature. Measurement is made by oil meter, checked daily by reservoir readings. The oil is fed by gravity (34 lb. static pressure) to seven low-pressure blast burners of the Steptoe type (Fig. 2). The blast for these burners is supplied at about 40-oz. pressure by a motor-driven Connersville blower of 42 cu. ft. capacity per revolution. The air supplied by the blower through the burners for atomizing the oil amounts to about 10 per cent. of the theoretical air necessary for complete combustion of the oil. The remainder of the necessary air enters the furnace through the burner openings in the firing wall. No checker holes are provided, and the charge holes in the roof are equipped with slide gates and "dog houses? to minimize air leakages. The combustion of the fuel, as shown by gas analysis at the front of the furnace, is practically complete, the carbon monoxide in the gases being less than 0.5 per cent.

Jan 2, 1915

By L. W. Kemph, K. R. VanHorn

During the recent development of aluminum alloys for free-cutting screw-machine rod, it became desirable to know something of the solubility of lead and bismuth in liquid aluminum and in some aluminum alloys. The literature is not particularly helpful in supplying this information. These portions, therefore, of the constitutional relationships of aluminum-bismuth and aluminum-lead alloys were investigated by thermal analysis and by chemical analysis of samples taken from aluminum-rich melts in equilibrium with precipitated lead or bismuth. The solubility of lead and bismuth in some liquid aluminum-copper alloys was also investigated. Some consideration was also given to the solubility of these elements in solid aluminum. Among the earliest investigators of the aluminum-lead and alunlinum-bismuth systems was Wright,' who reported that melts of aluminum and lead formed two layers indicating limited liquid solubility. Under his conditions, the aluminum-rich layer was reported to contain 1.91 per cent Pb and the lead-rich layer, 0.07 per cent Al. Subsequently, Pecheau2 found that in aluminum-rich alloy melts with more than 10 per cent Pb three layers were distinguishable. He reported that the middle layer contained from 3 to 10 per cent Pb. He also found that the melting point of aluminum appeared to be lowered slightly by the addition of lead. Gwyer3 investigated these alloys and found evidence of a slight lowering of the freezing point of aluminum by the addition of either lead or bismuth. He found no evidence of solid solubility in either case and made no attempt to determine the liquidus curves. Hansen and Blumen-tha14 reported that the addition of lead distinctly lowered the solidification point of aluminum. They also found that bismuth lowered the melting point of aluminum. Guillet5 reported almost complete mutual immiscibility for the aluminum-bismuth alloys in the liquid state. Bohner6 examined the effect of various concentrations of lead and bismuth on the electrical conductivity of aluminum. He found decreases in conductivity on annealing at 500' C. as compared with the conductivity of the same alloys on annealing at 300' C.

Jan 1, 1939

By W. R. Ingalls

WHEN I was a boy, political economy was taught in the old fashioned New England high school that I attended. I still possess my text-book, an abridgment of one of the old classics, and, I referred to it a few days ago. It began with the definition that "political economy is the science which investigates the' nature of wealth, and the laws which govern its production, exchange and distribution." That definition of 50 years ago strikes me still as being a good one. In college I sat under Francis A. Walker, the greatest of American economists. I still have his old text-book, which begins with substantially the same definition as Fawcett, but adds that "political economy has to do with no other subject, whatever, than wealth." As so developed economics was a dry study which captivated but few. It was characterized as the dismal science. It seemed to lead nowhither. . This was perhaps due to the inadequacy of the data available to economists. Consequently, their discussions and deduc-tions were founded largely on conjecture and assump-tions. Naturally this resulted in differences in the formulation of doctrines. There were controversies respecting the nature and influences of money, over the derivation of wages, over the principles of laissez faire (letting things take their own course) over the Malthusian doctrine, and so forth. Amid all this there was one great fundamental law universally recognized, namely the law of supply and demand, which ranks with the law of gravitation and the law of the conservation of energy among the great fundamen-tal laws of nature. The law of supply and demand is the one thing in economics upon which we may fix our eyes as upon the lode star. In the course of time we have fallen out of agreement with Walker's doctrine that political economy has to do with no other subject than wealth. Although it is indeed the science of the production and distribution of wealth we can see that many things pertain to that subject and that economics links hands closely with engineering, biology, and psychology. It is probably the recognition of this that caused the study and exposi-tion of economics to acquire such a strong sociological

Jan 6, 1923

Discussion of the paper of W. R. SHIMER, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 99, March, 1915, pp. 557 to. 585. WILLIAM R. WEBSTER, Philadelphia, Pa.-I would like to ask Mr. Shimer how the finishing temperature of the H-beams and other beams rolled on the Gray mill at Bethlehem compare with the rolling temperatures of the rails referred to in this paper. Also, how the reductions in the rolling of the beams compare with the reductions in the rolling of the rails. I would also like to know if any drop tests were' made on the rails referred to as having been allowed to cool and then annealed; in other words, what results, if any, were obtained from tests on rails after the internal strains of rolling had been removed; and in the matter of the rail blooms, I would like to ask if they are not often heated to a higher temperature than is desirable on account of the thin flanges in order to carry the heat through to the finishing pass. The tensile strength of the steel in these rails is given as 125,000 lb. per square inch, which is almost as high as tire steel. If some of these blooms were rolled into rounds of about the same section as the head of the rail, would you not get better results from tension tests than those from the head of the rail? In other words, in rolling rounds, whether you would not be able to control the rolling and finishing temperatures better than is possible in the rail, owing to thin section of the rail flanges. Some years ago I had experience with the rolling temperatures of tire steel, running from about 127,000 to 133,000 tensile strength. These tires had the tensile strength and the deflection specified. One of the manufacturers had no trouble whatever, after a little experimenting, in meeting the conditions of the specification. Another manufacturer who made some of these tires came to the office and stated that he had tried tires from three heats of steel and could not meet the specifications and

Jan 5, 1915

By R. A. Liddle

Intermitt'en'I'ly during the past 10 years showings of oil and gas in tests drilled in the eastern part of Texas have stimulated the search for production. Tests on the flanks of the long-known salt domes, principally Keechi and Butler, have found oil in small quantity in the Woodbine formation of the basal part of the Upper Cretacrous. In the central part of Cherokee County, Colliton et all in 1926, in their Clapp No. 2 found a good showing of 37" B6. oil at about 3500 ft. Several wells were drilled in 1926 and 1927 as a result of this showing. On Jan. 22, 1927, Humble Oil & Refining Co. wildcatting on Carey Lake salt dome, obtained commercial production in its Clark No. 1. This inaugurated intensive exploration both for salt domes and for other types of structure. As a result several new domes and a few promising structures of other types have been discovered. Development in East Texas durinG 1927 Carey Lake Dome Location.—On the Neches River in Anderson and Cherokree counties, 10 miles west of Jacksonville, Cherokec (lounty. (Fig. 1.) date of Discovery.—During 1925 geologisls of the Humble Oil & Refining Co. working in the Neches River valley discovered slight surface fracturexs, cratic dips, and slickensided clays and sands in green-sands of the Mount Selman formation north of Carey Lake. A number of core tests were drilled by the Humble Oil & Refining C'o. during 1925 and 1926, some more than 1500 ft. deep, to check their surface obsuvations of faulting, and the possibilities of a salt dome. On May 16, 1927, solid rock salt was reached at 2142ft. in the first deep test on the prospect. Surfacc Indications.—Surface indications of the Carey Lake dome, though not as evident as manifestations at the previously known domes of Palestine, Keechi, Butler, Grand Saline, Steen and Brooks, are more noticeable than on any of the domes discovered in 1927. F. E. Poulsen, of the Pure Oil Co., who examined the area before the deep tests were drilled, noted the alignment of erratic surface dips which suggested faulting, especially in conjunction with slickensiding, and the local deflec-

Jan 1, 1928

By P. G. Shewmon, J. Y. Choi

The surface-diffusion coefficient for , has been measured on (111) and (100) surfaces of copper from 1000" to 620°C. D,(Ge) on the (111) is two to three times that on the (100) as was found earlier for copper and gold on copper. D, (Ge) on both (111) and (100) is about thirty times that found for gold or copper tracers on the same surfaces, while in the temperature range where both D,(Ge) and Ds(Au) have been measured the activation energy for germanium is the same as that for gold. The apparent activation energy for Ds(Ge) is not a constant, but decreases with temperature. In a recent paper we reported on the application of a new tracer technique to the determination of the surface-diffusion coefficient (D,) for gold and copper on (111) and (100) surfaces of copper.' In this paper, we shall give the results obtained when the same technique was used to measure Ds for germanium on the (111) and (100) surfaces of copper. In addition to providing data on D., for an additional element on copper, the longer half-life of germanium (275 days) meant that Ds could be measured down to a much lower temperature and thus over a much wider temperature range (1000" to 620°C) than was used in our gold-tracer work (1060" to 780°C) or copper mass-transport studies (1060" to 800). The apparent activation energy for D, (Ge) is essentially the same as that found for gold or copper in the same temperature range, though the values of D, (Ge) are thirty times greater than those found for gold or copper tracers. The most interesting new result found is that the apparent activation energy for Ds(Ge), and thus Do, definitely increases with temperature. Such a trend was much more apparent in Gjostein's mass-transport work on copper than in our own, though in an earlier paper we mentioned the difficulty of fitting all of our points with one straight line:= No real explanation of this is given though experiments done on grain boundary groove growth at various ambient pressures demonstrate unequivocally that vapor transport plays no part in the increase in activation energy with temperature.

Jan 1, 1964

By Robert R. Boyd

The gravity discussed here is that of the clean oil produced. Gravities of fluids containing water, free or in the form of emulsion, sand, drilling mud or mineral salts of a nonbituminous nature do not represent the gravity of crude oil as considered in this paper. During recent years it has become a frequent occurrence for operators to be called upon to explain to landowners the reasons for variations in gravity on shipments of oil from wells in which they are interested as royalty owners. In regard to single well leases it has been noted that marked changes in gravity frequently have occurred for no apparent reason. Data collected on the subject and correlated with production methods reveal interesting facts. It is the purpose of this paper to present some of the highlights on the subject. These gravity changes in the natural crude oil are with a few exceptions the result of the liberation under varying conditions of the volatile hydrocarbons from the natural oil-gas solution contained within the pool. The subject of the liberation of gases from natural oil-gas solution has been investigated by Ben E. Lindsly, of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and the observations recorded here are in the main consistent with his conclusions. Investigators have recognized two methods of liberation of gas from solution—flash and differential. In the latter method the vapors are removed from the liquid as rapidly as formed and have no opportunity to come to a condition of equilibrium with the oil. In flash liberation an equilibrium condition between the oil and the gas exists at the pressure of separation. Mr. Lindsly has found that the method of liberating the gas from the oil has a pronounced effect on the final gravity and that differential liberation results in a higher A.P.I. gravity due to the higher ratio of gasoline producing hydrocarbons left in the oil. Under actual production practices with high velocities in flow strings, it is our contention that conditions of perfect equilibrium between gas and the oil rarely exist, and that gas separation is made under varying conditions, sometimes approaching that of equilibrium and at other times departing from it.

Jan 1, 1937

By Joseph Jensen

No outstanding example of an important producing unit operation exists in California today where the competitive drilling drainage feature is or was entirely eliminated We need not feel, however, that the thought of unit operation had its birth in 1924, when Henry L. Doherty named and sponsored it so strongly before the American Petroleum Institute and our own organization. No man or company in California ever drilled a wildcat well without exerting every possible effort to get all of the structure, so as to control drilling and avoid competition. Overproduction did not begin in 1923, so there has always been the wish to avoid it. In this state the practice of selling acreage around a wildcat has not been followed, except possibly in rare instances. The operator drilling the wildcat knew he must pay the bill alone, so he endeavored to get the benefit of his effort by tying up all of the land around his well and by so planning his different lease obligations as to avoid as much offsetting as possible. If he failed to get all of the land, it was because someone's price was too high, some other oil man also had the same idea and already held some lands, a competitor took leases away from him while his work was still incomplete, or (as was so often the case) the hidden structure when developed did not prove to be where the wildcatter thought it would be. The last named condition often led to a forced drilling campaign by the last leases secured and thus to serious drilling drainage problems. Ownership of the Land The land situation differs a great deal in various parts of the state. In the San Joaquin Valley, all the land is surveyed into sections and townships. Railroad land grants embraced a part of the land. In the areas that were developed at an early date, as at Kern River, Coalinga, McKittrick and the Sunset-Midway field, such land as the railroad company's diligent land department had been unable to sell for a song as grazing land still remained in its ownership. Operation and ownership

Jan 1, 1930

By Carl O. Thieme

INDUSTRIAL specialization has rapidly created a demand for new and better alloys. A more thorough understanding of the requirements of specific industries and the discovery of processes by which it has been made possible to utilize certain metallic elements in larger quantities, together with greater purity in most virgin metals, has resulted in a great increase in the number and variety of alloys. This increase in the number of elements entering into non-ferrous alloy manufacture has increased the contamination in secondary metals, as received by the smelter. In order to successfully refine scrap of a much more complex nature it has been necessary for the smelter to install new equipment and to constantly search for new methods of refining as well as to improve the methods already in use. In some instances it is largely responsible for specialization in the secondary metal industry. It is usually necessary to remove the contaminating impurities in scrap or eliminate to a degree not objectionable, no matter how introduced. In order to know what metals or elements are of an objectionable nature, the smelter must make a study of the effect of single elements and combinations of elements on many of the physical and mechanical properties, such as strength, ductility, color, hardness, casting soundness, etc. The smelter of secondary metals must be able to utilize scrap materials of all kinds, for, sooner or later, most fabricated metal parts and the waste products formed during the process of manufacture find their way to the smelter. In addition, the smelter, in contracting for salvaged material from the producer, gets some undesirable and unusual materials. The value of secondary metals and the importance of their recovery has increased in recent years and it is no longer sufficient to recover the base metal only, such as copper from copper-bearing material, but it is essential that other elements present be recovered and converted into useful form. This paper will deal not with the smelting and refining or separation of impurities from secondary metals but an attempt will be made to show the increased value of metal scrap when properly segregated and in a less contaminated condition. There are five principal reasons for contamination in secondary metals: New and unusual alloys, productive methods,

Jan 1, 1928

By T. B. Brooks

THE iron ores of the Marquette region are mostly extracted in open excavations ; hence the process is more properly quarrying. Several attempts at underground work have been made, which have not, on the whole, been successful. The Edwards mine has been almost entirely wrought by candle-light. The slate ore pit, No. 1, of the New England mine, is now worked in the same way, as is also the Pioneer furnace pit of the Jackson mine. The Champion mine was opened systematically for underground work, with two levels, 60 feet apart, and three shafts at distances apart along the bed. of 200 feet; but this idea has been practically abandoned, the greater part of the ore in that mine being now taken out in open pits. Several other mines have occasionally worked underground stopes, but only temporarily; if such stopes could not be opened out to day-light, they have usually been abandoned. In brief, it may be said that no considerable amount of ore has as yet (1870).been extracted underground in the region, and of that so mined very little has been taken out at a profit; and I may add that it seems to be the belief of the most experienced mining men that this state of things will hold for some time to come for reasons which will appear. Nearly the same remarks may be applied to the mines of the Iron Mountain region, Missouri, the ores of which are very similar in character to those of Marquette. Some of the New York and New Jersey magnetic deposits are wrought open, but this is the exception, underground mining there being the rule. The following brief sketch of the geological structure of the Marquette deposits will indicate some advantages of the method of mining employed. The iron-bearing (Huronian) series of rocks, are stratified beds, the principal ore formation being overlaid by a quartzite, and underlaid by a diorite, or greenstone. This ore formation is made up, first, of pure ore ; second, of a mixed ore" (i. e., banded * A second part of this paper was read before the American Society of Civil Engineers. Both papers are embraced in Chapter IX, Part I, Vol. II, Geological Survey of Michigan.

Jan 1, 1873

By H. C. Otis

DURING the past year or two considerable time and money have been spent in developing equipment for tubing large-volume high-pressure oil and gas wells without loss of production. That the efforts have met with success is proved by the fact that any properly cased well, regardless of its production or regardless of its rock pressure or working pressure, can now be safely tubed with no appreciable loss of production, provided experienced crews handle the new equipment. It is conceded that a far better gas-oil ratio can be secured by flowing a well through tubing of a proper diameter-the diameter of the tubing depending, of course, upon the volume of fluid and gas and the depth of the well-than by the more usual method of installing a choke at the mouth of the well. Where possible it is becoming the practice to bring wells in through tubing, though in the majority of instances this is not feasible. In many instances it has developed, after a well has been brought in through tubing, that the tubing installed is either too large or too small for the most efficient operation or that the well had not been drilled deep enough. The equipment described in this paper, in the hands of experienced men, permits the tubing of these wells after they have been brought in, with the size of tubing then determined by actual observation to be best suited for each particular well, and with no danger of the well getting out of control, of catching fire, of drilling itself deeper, or of any loss of production. The deeper the flowing production with the consequent future higher lifting costs, the more essential it is that the size of tubing used be such as to give the best possible gas-oil ratio. The ability to bring in these deep wells through the casing and then, immediately after their completion, regardless of volume or pressure, to tube them with the size of tubing that permits the most efficient use of the gas present will doubtless save many dollars.

Jan 1, 1929

By D. T. MacRoberts

This paper embodies the results of theoretical studies concerning gas reservoirs, especially the effect of drilling programs of various intensities upon pressure depletion and ultimate recoveries. The primary objective has been to determine the net quantity of recoverable gas that could be obtained as a result of each additional well, in comparison with the gas . that might be secured from a single well ideally placed with respect to both acreage and geological structure. No method is yet known whereby the relative merits of intensive and sparse drilling can be compared experimentally; a reservoir must either be drilled closely or developed with wide spacing, but both programs cannot be conducted simultaneously. Hence, the analytical method seems to be the only approach to the problem. While the present state of our theoretical knowledge does not offer a precise solution to the problem of gas flow in sand bodies, it takes such appropriate cognizance of the limitations of the methods used as to restrict any answer obtained to the realm of engineering accuracy. In solving the problem for the average gas field, it was found that practically the same answers resulted as to pressure distribution, regardless of the size of the drainage radius, even though the latter was assumed to vary from a few feet as a minimum to that of the entire reservoir as a maximum. Such limits represent extreme possibilities; therefore, the practical conditions that are associated with normal development programs, in which wells are placed in the center of tracts varying in size from 40 to 640 acres, will of necessity result in less extreme variations than those indicated in the tables accompanying this paper. Stated more concisely, the amount of gas unrecovered at abandonment (of the particular field used for illustrative purposes) will lie somewhere between 4.6 and 6 per cent of the total original content, no matter how intensively the field is drilled. Gas reservoirs may be divided into two general types, those in which the energy is intrinsic, and those of which the energy is extrinsic. † The first type contains energy in the form of a compressed gas, which expands

Jan 1, 1938