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Pumping coal to market may help Appalachian coal operators increase their share of the eastern seaboard fuel business. Transporting it by pipeline is already an accomplished fact, but until recently it had to be dewatered to be used in boiler furnaces. The campaign for these eastern markets was begun in earnest last November by the widely publicized announcement of successful plant-scale firing of a central station boiler with coal slurry pumped to the burners. This latest advance makes coal similar to oil and gas in convenience in handling and controlling at the consumption end of the pipeline. Slurry could be considered a new commodity for the fuel market. HUGE POTENTIAL MARKET The heaviest concentration of power plants in the U.S. is along the line Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston which makes this region the best hunting ground for selling pipelined coal brought from western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia. Furthermore, if this region is assumed to consume 125 million tons of coal annually, on a comparable basis, the consumption of oil and gas would be about 180 million tons. Even if all of this fuel is not consumed in central stations, it is still a very big market for coal at the right price. Consolidation Coal Co. and Texas Eastern Transmission Co. are trying to line up customers in this area so that a pipeline can be built. This is not to say that there are not many other areas in the U.S. that could not be supplied advantageously by a mine-to-market pipeline.

Jan 1, 1962

THE following employment items are made available to AIME members on a nonprofit basis by the Engineering Societies Personnel Service, Inc , operating in cooperation with the Four Founder Societies Local offices of the Personnel Service are at 8 W 40th St , New York 18, 100 Farnsworth Ave, Detroit, 57 Post St , San Francisco, 84 E Randolph St , Chicago 1 Applicants should address all mail to the proper key numbers in care of the New York office and include 6c in stomps for forwarding and returning application The applicant agrees, if placed in a position by means of the Service, to pay the placement fee listed by the Service AIME members may secure a weekly bulletin of positions available for $3 50 a quarter, $12 a year MEN AVAILABLE Executive Engineer, 37, married, 3 children Now Resident Manager nonmetallic underground mine and processing plant Management and operational experience in gold, copper, zinc, limestone and lime products manufacture Mine plant design and construction, underground mines and quarries Excellent references Currently employed but available reasonable notice Prefer U S M-687-426-E-5-San Francisco Metallurgical Engineer, 29, married, one child, B S Metallurgical Engineering Five years' practical experience in milling and laboratory research Available thirty days Prefer West or Southwest U S A M-689¬522-E-1-San Francisco Experienced Mining Engineer, university graduate, 40, married Twenty years' experience all phases metal mining, past 13 years as manager, excellent cost and safety record Available short notice Best references and complete professional record available upon request M-690

Jan 1, 1952

By Robert M. Jimeson

At the recent SME Fall Meeting in Salt Lake City, Robert M. Jimeson, Physical Science Administrator of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, cited the research programs underway in the Bureau's Division of Coal Research, and outlined their current status. These research programs have been selected by the Division because of their relative value and high probability of success in contributing to the conservation of the Nation's coal and to the expanded use of coal in current or new markets. Since about 50% of coal consumption in the United States is in the production of electric power, 20% in production of metallurgical coke, and over 20 % by industry in producing process steam and power, the Bureau has placed much emphasis on research that will maintain coal's leadership in these established areas. This emphasis is reflected in the projects discussed on these pages. Bear in mind that this survey is not all-inclusive. Other projects underway include studies on furnace performance factors, improved burner design, and other critical boiler work which can be used immediately by industry to improve efficiency of current practices in power generation; other investigations are aimed at reducing fireside deposits and corrosion of boiler and super- heater tubes, fly ash utilization, and control of SO, from flue gases (a major step in preventing air pollution). These plus many other projects during the past years have served to focus attention on the fact that the U. S. Bureau of Mines is presently making the largest single contribution to this Nation's coal research effort.

Jan 11, 1963

By H. DeWitt Smith

THE disastrous effect of two major wars on foreign economic health is giving American capital opportunities which might have not otherwise developed. At a time when discovery of major orebodies in the United States awaits fuller application of new geophysical tools and technical methods, U. S. investors must seek other fields where investment may be put to work. The unsettling effects of war have made it almost impossible for foreign nationals to develop mineral wealth, permitting Americans to enter at a time when U. S. mining, with a few exceptions, is in the process of expanding known orebodies and developing only a few new ones. Available capital, however, is not the only pre- requisite for entering the foreign mineral development field. The capital must be able to work in favorable economic atmosphere, a condition not easily satisfied in a world constantly in a state of political and social flux. In many countries, the political theory changes as often as the wind direction in March. Thus, the political stability of the form of government is of prime importance to the investor. In addition, a balanced budget and a moderate tax structure are important. Because in making foreign investment it is inevitable that one will have dealings with government officials, it is basic that they must be of high integrity. In countries filling the requirements, it will usually be found that the economic initiative of the individual is respected. Newmont Mining Corp.'s three major investments in the last 15 years have been in Canada and the

Jan 1, 1952

By Sidney Cornell

THE technical- advantages of adding oxygen to air and producer gas, or using it as a reactive agent, producing 400 B.t.u. gas instead of. the present 150 B.t.u., with higher flame temperatures and a reducing flame possible, with a smaller volume of gases passing through a furnace, will result in quicker melting, sharp working, and the production of a higher quality steel. Probably electric-furnace quality steel can be produced in an open-hearth furnace using oxygen. A modern, standard, 100-ton open-hearth furnace, with all equipment, costs from $350,000 to $500,000; there are about 1000 open-hearth furnaces in this country. When considering the use of oxygen in the open-hearth furnace, it is necessary to study: (1) The use of oxygen in the present furnaces, such that modification of existing furnaces and equipment cost the minimum, although the full advantages of oxygen are not thus obtainable. (2) The use of oxygen in a furnace designed for its use, producing quality and quantity steel at the lowest possible cost. This entails the junking of approximately one-half the value in existing equipment-writing off $250,000,000. The basis of such an estimate is the present cost of manufacturing open-hearth steel. Objection may be taken to some of the unit prices here given, but while some companies obtain their ores for much less, the prices quoted are -market price. They are used to show the maximum economy obtained by oxygen at that point.

Jan 11, 1924

Reginald S. Dean (Manganese Extraction by Carbamate Solutions and the Chemistry of New Manganese-Ammonia Complexes, P. 55) was born in Rolla, Mo. and attended the Missouri School of Mines. Mr. Dean has worked as metallurgist with Western Electric Co. from 1920 to 1929 and with U. S. Bureau of Mines from 1929 to 1946 as chief metallurgist and assistant director, and has been a metallurgical consultant in Washington, D. C. since 1946. An AIME member, Mr. Dean has presented at least 50 papers before the society. Mr. Dean is a member of American Society of Metals, American Chemical Society and Electrochemical Society. C. O. Dale (Illinois Operations of the Eagle Picher Mining and Smelting Co., co-author with W. J. Rundel, P. 72) was born in Twin Bridges, Mont. and attended Montana School of Mines and received his B.S. in mining engineering in 1944. Mr. Dale was with U. S. Navy Air Corps. as an electronics technician and worked as an engineer with C. O. Dale & Sons, Anaconda Copper Mining Co. and with Eagle Picher Mining & Smelting Co. At present he is Wisconsin manager of Eagle Picher Mining & Smelting Co. The application of machinery to mining is of special interest to Mr. Dale. A member of AIME, Mr. Dale is on the Room and Pillar or Stope and Pillar Committee of Mining Subdivision for 1951 to 1952. Mr. Dale is a member of Montana Society of Engineers and Lions Club. Golfing, fishing and wood working are his hobbies.

Jan 1, 1952

By D. T. Novick, M. B. Bever, B. Roessler

Ordered and disordered specimens of the alloy CusAu were cold worked and then annealed at 2880, 310°, and 340°C, together with disordered unworked specimens. me resistivity decreased during annealing mainly as a result of ordering; the resistivity measurements suggest that in cold-worked specimens the growth of antiphase domains is impeded. The strength properties increased during annealing at 288 "C; in cold-worked specimens this increase was lo a level above that for cold-worked specimens which had not been annealed. X-ray diffraction showed that after annealing for a few hours at 288ºC, the long-range order increased to a constant value; additional annealing at 288ºC resulted in the growth of antiphase domains in which the degree of order was constant. Changes in peak breadth and particle size confirmed that in cold-worked specimens the major effects of cold work were not eliminated during annealing at 288 "C, although a slight recovery process occurred. When a specimen of the alloy Cu3Au is heated to a temperature below the critical temperature (388ºC), long-range ordering tends to occur in a specimen containing less than the equilibrium amount of order characteristic of that temperature Ideally, a specimen of Cu3Au contains no long-range order if it has been quenched from above the critical temperature. Long-range order is reduced by cold work. If cold-worked specimens are heated, restoration processes such as recovery and recrystallization may occur,

Jan 1, 1963

By E. De Golyer

THE petroleum production of the world, in 1923, for the first time reached the billion-barrel mark. A preliminary estimate of production is 1,014,413,000 bbl., an increase of 159,604,000 bbl., or 18.6 per cent. over the 854,809,000 bbl. produced in 1922, the year of next highest production. This increase resulted from an increase of 178,469,000 bbl. in the production of the United States; the total for the rest of the world shows a loss of 18,865,000 bbl., a loss caused by the decrease of approximately 32,278,000 bbl. in Mexican production. The Mexican decrease more than offset increases in the production of Russia, Persia, Roumania, Venezuela, Sarawak, and various minor fields. The increase in production for the United States, and consequently for the world, was the result of flush production from development to maximum capacity during the year of eight, bonanza fields-fields reaching daily yields of 100,000 bbl. or better. It might be ascribed more exactly to the production from the three flush fields of the Los Angeles basin. Their production alone was greater than the increase in the world petroleum production, or the increase in the production of the United States, and it was cheap oil from these fields that demoralized the oil markets of the world. The Basin fields were. the features and dominating factors in the oil industry of the world during 1923. The bonanza fields of 1923, their estimated production for the year, and peak are given in Table 1.

Jan 3, 1924

By G. L. Oldright, T. B. Brighton, C. M. Dice

The base bullion from the lead blast furnace contains varying amounts of the impurities left in the smelter feed by the concentrator, regardless of the method of smelter operation. These impurities may be held in part in mechanical suspension rather than being present as true alloys. However, usually there is little free space in the crucible in which to separate these drosses before the bullion is taken from the lead well. When such a dross is melted in a laboratory crucible and allowed to cool, the products obtained are lead bullion, speiss, and matte in well separated layers. Typical analyses of layers are: Analyses. Per Cent Element Bullion Speiss Matte Pb.............................................. 92.0 41.2 38.3 Cu.............................................. 2.4 36.3 40.6 As............................................... 4.0 16.5 4.3 Sb............................................... 0.7 0.2 0.4 S................................................ 0.6 1.9 13.1 Fe............................................... 0.0 0.0 0.0 Totals......................................... 99.7 96.1 96.7 The absence of iron in these products drossed from the blast-furnace bullion proves that the impurities for the greater part are not simply finely divided blast-furnace speiss or matte that has been dissolved or dispersed in the lead, but are held in solution by the liquid metal and rise to its surface as infusible compounds when the temperature of the bath is lowered. In general, the drosses made locally are metal sulphides and arsenides and not oxidized compounds. The large content of metallic lead also does not seem to be retained because of oxidized compounds

Jan 1, 1937

WHEN Magma Copper Company in 1952 set about finding $100,000,000 to finance the project of developing and equipping the property of its lusty progeny, the San Manuel Copper Corporation, A. J. McNab, president and guiding genius for both companies (and incidentally a mining engineer by profession), determined that he would avoid the mistake frequently made in such circumstances, of underestimating the cost, and thereby running short of funds before the job was completed. The fear that this might happen was one of the reasons why insurance companies, one potent source of "big" money, were reluctant to finance the enterprise. How, they asked themselves, would Magma, a relatively small company, get additional money in such a contingency? Insurance officials' thumbs were turned down. Conditions Imposed by R.F.C. The upshot was the negotiation by Mr. McNab for San Manuel of a contract with the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, dated July 10, 1952, whereby needed monies in amount up to $94,000,000 would be advanced as a loan, bearing 5 per cent interest. Arrangements were made for the separate financing of the new $10,000,000 town, needed for the project, through the Del E. Webb Construction Company of Phoenix, Arizona, and M.O.W. Homes, Incorporated, of Los Angeles. Thus the $94,000,000 drawing account was believed ample to provide for building the railroad, the mine plant, the concentrator, and the smelter, as well as for the underground development of the mine needed to start production. As a matter of fact, only

Jan 1, 1957

The following is a 'partial list of members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period Oct. 10, 1917, to Nov. 10, 1917. Edwin T. Blake, Berkeley, Cal. Alfred C. Lane, Tufts College, Mass. H. M. Boylston, Cambridge, Mass. W. G. Matteson, Houston, Texas. W. B. Cogswell, Syracuse, N. Y. E. Francis M'Crossin, Birmingham, Ala. Paul R. Cook, Zaruma, Ecuador. R. E. Murray, Butte, Mont. F. W. DeWolf, Washington, D. C. Edmund Newton, Minneapolis, Minn. A. Faison Dixon, Venezuela. J. J. Ormsbee, El Paso, Texas. W. H. Dufur,, Oil City, Pa. Pablo Ortega, Havana, Cuba. Maxwell E. Erdofy, Lieut. Engr. Officers'. W. E. Pomeroy, El Paso, Texas Reserve Corps, New York. J. C. Ralston, Spokane, Wash. Evan Fraser-Campbell, Scotland. W. L. Remick, Chrome, N. J. David B. Gemmill, Crown King, Ariz. Howard D. Smith, San Francisco, Cal. F. Lynwood Garrison, Philadelphia, Pa. Harold C. E. Spence, Steeple Rock, N. M. C. J. Hall, Spassky, Siberia. R. K. Stockwell, Salt Lake City, Utah. H. Hamada, Tokyo, Japan. Maurice W. Summerhayes, Timmins, Rush M. Hess, Bouse, Ariz. Ont., Canada. A. Howard Higgin, London, England Malcolm M. Thompson, Morsemere; N. J. A. O. Ihlseng, Joplin, Mo. Nicholas Truschkoff, Petrograd, Russia. T. Ishikawa, Japan. H. J. Wendler, Los Angeles, Cal. C. H. James, Tucson, Ariz. Ira T. Wright, Hurley, N. M. R. R. Landon, Philippine Islands. C. Yabe, Japan. Robert W. Bissell has now become associated with Gunn, Richards & Co., of New York, N. Y. Major Reginald W. Brock is giving a course in a school for commanding officers in England.

Jan 12, 1917

By C. A. Heberlein

C. A. HEBERLEIN, New York, N. Y.-The results stated by Rey and Brevers are so startling that they are of great interest, as the concentration of a low percentage of cinnabar by differential flotation yields a high-grade concentrate in the presence of either arsenical or iron pyrite. The authors say: "Cyanide can thus be used to depress arsenopyrite and make a good cinnabar-arsenopyrite separation. A cinnabar-pyrite separation could probably be effected in the same way." Corrosive sublimate at the present price of mercury would be a very expensive reagent but the expense would be justifiable if a high rate of concentration could be obtained with a high extraction. On my request, special tests were made in the Punitaqui mill in Chile along the line suggested by the authors, without any improvement of either grade or extraction. As the recovery of the cinnabar in a complex sulphide of chalcopyrite and pyrite gave unsatisfactory results, I had tests made at the testing laboratory of the American Cyanamid Co. at Stamford, Conn. As these tests turned out to be highly satisfactory, not only at Stamford but later at the mine, they are presented here. [ ] The pulp had a density of 22 and a pH of 7.8. Total time of conditioning was one minute. The reagent added was Texas fuel oil, 0.116lb. of 33.7 Bé. gravity containing 0.9 per cent sulphur. Frother, 0.062 lb. of No. 5 pine oil. Rate of concentration of mercury was 25.7: 11. [ ]

Jan 1, 1941

By Carl S. Westerberg

1,. C. McCABE*-—An increased derliand for coal in the west is to be expected because of the growth in population and industry during the past ten years. The author calls attention to the increased mechanical cleaning of Utah coal between 1938, when no cleaning was being done, and 194.7, when more than 24 pct of the production was cleaned. This is essentially the Period of most rapid growth of the Pacific Coast. area altliough the growth and, no doubt, the general trends in coal production and cleaning continued at a less accelerated rate during 1948. The Pacific southwest increased 37 pct in population between 1940 and 191.7 while the United States showed only a 7 pct increase in the same period. it has been estimated that there will be an additional 15 pct increase in population between 1947 and 1950. The conclusion that more coal and more mechanicak cleaning capacity will be required appears to be well founded. Mr. Westerberg discusses the cco- nomic advantages of coal cleaning reflected in freight savings, in lower cost per million Btu, and lowered ash and sulphur content. In view of the limited occurrence of coking coals in the west it would be interesting to know whether significant beneficiation in coking strength can be expected from mechanical cleaning of Utah coals. This has been demonstrated for some eastern and midwestern coals. One can readily agree to the desirability of recovering the fine coal that has heretofore been lost in washery slurry. The very cheapness of coal has Iridered

Jan 1, 1950

By Phillip E. Butler

The Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation is actively engaged in the utilization of coal mine refuse in the construction of highway embankments. Long-held objections for utilization are invalidated by research, laboratory data, and construction performance. Laboratory, engineering, construction, and environmental impact analyses are presented from the construction of the Cross Valley Expressway embankment at Forty Fort, Luzerne County, Pa. Comparisons of laboratory data and construction measurements are given. The refuse embankment is the first of its size in Pennsylvania, and possibly the U. S., covering 1.5 million cu yd.

Jan 1, 1977

(Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members) The following is a partial list of members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period May 10,1917, to June 10, 1917. F. J. Anderson, Cali, Colombia. W. F. Jahn, Kirkland Lake, Ont., Canada. George J. Bancroft, Denver, Colo. W. McA. Johnson, Hartford, Conn. W. F. B. Berger, Denver, Colo. J. E. Jopling, Marquette, Mich. F. J. Brulé, Toronto, Ont., Canada. William Kelley, Vulcan, Mich. J. Murray Clark, Toronto, Ont., Canada. H. M. LaFollette, La Follette, Tenn. Will L. Clark, Jerome, Ariz.. Dorsey A. Lyon, Washington, D. C. G. H. Clevenger, Palo Alto, Cal. James F. Magee, Lancaster, Pa. Paul S. Couldrey, Sound Beach, Conn. M. Ortin, Nijni-Novgorod, Russia. C. W. Crispell, Kingston, N. Y. - C. H. Palmer, Jr., Los Angeles, Cal. George A. Easley, La Paz, Bolivia. Edison S. Pettis, ?Mill Valley, Cal. Bancroft Gore, Butte, Mont. Mortimer A. Sears, Paintsville, Ky. John B. Guernsey, Roanoke, Va. W. J. Uren, Houghton, Mich. Rush M. Hess, St. Louis, Mo. C. E. Visel, New Haven, Conn. E. Hibbert, Nickelton, Ont., Canada. Percy E. Barbour, has resigned his position as managing editor of the Engineering & Mining Journal, to accept the appointment of Deputy Superintendent of the New York State Troopers, with headquarters at Albany, N. Y., with the rank of captain.. He has also been commissioned as captain in the 22nd Regiment, N: Y. N. G., having been formerly 1st Lieutenant.

Jan 7, 1917

The following is an incomplete list of members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period Jan. 10, 1918 to Feb. 10, 1918: K. Baumgarten, San Diego, Cal. J. A. Meyerovitch, Petrograd, Russia. F. J. Brine, Toronto, Ont., Canada. C. Naramore, Washington, D. C. W. A. Castleton, Salt Lake City, Utah. Orrin P. Peterson, Wausau, Wis. J. Ross Corbin, Boyerton, Pa. William H. Rea, Pittsburgh, Pa. W. M. Corse, Buffalo, N. Y. W. Murray Sanders, Tucson, Ariz. W. A. Deane, Summitville, N. Y. Edmund F. Saxton, Philadelphia, Pa. S. E. Doak, Philadelphia, Pa. William C. Schmidt, Humboldt, Ariz. F. G. Downs, Jersey City, N. J. G. J. Sielaff, Oakland, Cal. Albert H. Fay, Washington, D. C. A. D. Sproat, Bound Brook, N. J. F. Julius Fohs, Tulsa, Okla. J. A. Stader, Joplin, Mo. A. L. Gholz, Minneapolis, Minn. A. K. Stewart, Mine La Motte, Mo. Ruger W. Hay, Easton, Pa. Geo. W. Tower, Jr., New Rochelle, N. Y. Stanley C. Herold, Pittsburgh, Pa. Henry Traphagen, Toledo, Ohio. A. A. Holland, Montreal, Canada. H. E. Treichler, Chuquicamata, Chile. T. Z. Humphrey, Anaconda, Mont. Paul M. Tyler, Fairlee, Vt. H. M. LaFollette, LaFollette, Tenn. F. R. Van Campen; Seattle, Wash. J. B. Lain, Goldfield, Nev. Thor Warner, Phoenix, Ariz. J. R. Lashbrooke, Los Angeles, Cal. Clarence Woods, Narrows, Va. W. F. Lewis, Ewen, Mich. E. N. Zern, Pittsburgh, Pa. C. E. McQuigg, New Haven, Conn. Robert J. Anderson has resigned his position as chief chemist and metallurgist of the Cleveland Metal Products Co., Cleveland, Ohio.

Jan 3, 1918

By Rossiter W. Raymond

THE most important event in the history of mining in the United States was the discovery of gold in California, which led to the rapid development, not only of a new industry, but of a new empire. The settlement of the Pacific slope was making but slow progress under the inducements of a scanty commerce in furs and hides. The liberal grants offered by the government to agricultural pioneers in Oregon had attracted to the Willamette valley and other favored points in that territory a limited population; but the government of the Mexicans in California was positively unfavorable to enterprise. It is true that gold was known to exist in the country. Rumors of it were current among the trappers, and placers had actually been worked in what is now Los Angeles County ; but the padres of the neighboring mission of San Fernando had discouraged the business as demoralizing to their flocks ; and the existence of the precious metal was not widely known; still less was its distribution north¬ward suspected. The discovery of gold, January 19th, 1848, at Sutter's saw-mill, on the south fork of the American River, afterward famous as Coloma, in Eldorado County, was the beginning of the new epoch. This discovery was made by James Wilson Marshall, a partner in the mill, who observed in the debris washed down by the tail-race a glittering fragment of a mineral unknown to him. Suspecting it to be gold, he sought for further specimens, and obtained, in the course of a few days, several ounces of it. Tests subsequently

Jan 1, 1875

By Rossiter W. Raymond

The most important event in the history of mining in the United States was the discovery of gold in California, which led to the rapid development, not only of a new industry, but of a new empire. The settlement of the Pacific slope was making but slow progress under the inducements of a scanty commerce in furs and hides. The liberal grants offered by the government to agricultural pioneers in Oregon had attracted to the Willamette valley and other favored points in that territory a limited population; hot the government of the Mexicans in California was positively unfavorable to enterprise. It is true that gold was known to exist in the country. Rumors of it were current among the trappers, and placers had actually been worked in what is now Los Angeles County; but the padres of the neighboring mission of San Fernando had discouraged the business as demoralizing to their flocks; and the existence of the precious metal was not widely known; still less was its distribution northward suspected. The discovery of gold, January 19th) 1848, at Sutter's saw-mill, on the south fork of the American River, afterward famous as Coloma, in Eldorado County, was the beginning of the new epoch. This discovery was made by James Wilson Marshall, a partner in the mill, who observed in the debris washed down by the tail-race a glittering fragment of a mineral unknown to him. Suspecting it to be gold, he sought for further specimens, and obtained, in the course of a few days, several ounces of it. Tests subsequently

By P. Duwez, L. Zwell

L. S. BUSCH—We have had presented two methods of measuring these variations in powder compacts. E. OROWAN—Tn connection with the rolling mill research work carried out at. the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge, with the help of the British Iron and Steel Research Association. Dr. E. A. W. Hoff, Mr. J. Los, and myself, have determined coefficients of friction at ex- treme pressures for a number of liquid and solid lubricants, both by direct measurement, and by calculation from measured values of the roll force. The most efficient lubricants at these high pressures (for the small amounts of sliding that, occur in rolling) were camphor and. in particular, borneol (Borneo-camphor). Perhaps such lubricants could be used with advantage in the kind of work described by Dr. Wulff. L. S. BUSCH—1 think Dr. Wulff has in the past mentioned experiments which have been performed in the extrusion and rolling of metals and which led to conclusions which can be applied to the compacting of metal powder. A. SQUIRE*—There have been some recent developments in the field of high pressure lubricants which indicate that boron nitride might be a very desirable material to employ as a die lubricant. At the present time its cost is prohibitive, but as the need arises for the material it will undoubtedly come down in price. The present price is $200. a pound. It is my understanding that one of the reasons for vacuum pressing both in ceramics and metal powders, is to prevent

Jan 1, 1950

By O. C. Baptist

The Umiat oil field is in Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 between the Brooks Range and Arctic Ocean in far-northern Alaska. The Umiat anticline has been tested by 11 wells, six of which produced oil ; however, [lie productive capacity and recoverable reserves of the field are subject to considerable speculation because of unusual reservoir conditions and because several wells appear to have been .seriously damaged during drilling and completion. Oil is produced at depths of 275 to 1,100 ft; the depth to the bottom of the permanently frozen zone varies from about 800 to 1,100 ft, .so that most of the oil reserves are in the permafrost Reservoir pressures are estimated to range from 50 to 350 psi, increasing with depth, and the small amount of gas dissolved in the oil is the major source of energy for production. Laboratory tests were made on cores under simulated permafrost conditions to estimate oil recoverable by solution-gas expansion from low saturation pressures. The cores were also tested for clay content and susceptibility to productivity impaiment by swelling clays and increased water. content if exposed to fresh water. The results indicate that oil can be produced fronz reservoir rocks in the permafrost and that substantial amounts of oil can be produced from depletion-drive reservoirs by a pre.s.r~lrr drop of as little as 100 psi below the saturation pressure. Freezing of formation water reduces oil productivity much more than that due to increased oil viscosity: Failure of we1ls drilled with rtuter-base mud to produce is attributed to freezing of water in the urea immediately surrounding the wellbore. Swelling clays apparently contributed very little to the plugging of the wells. INTRODUCTION Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 lies between the Brooks Range and the Arctic Ocean in northern Alaska. The Umiat oil field is located in the southeastern part of the Reserve and is about 180 miles southeast of Point Barrow (the only permanent settlement in the Reserve and the primary supply point for drilling of the wells at Umiat). Eleven wells were drilled for the U. S. Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves, between 1944 and 1953 to test the oil and gas possibilities of the Umiat anticline. Six of these wells produced oil in varying quantities and the best one pumped about 400 B/D.' Estimates of recoverable oil range from 30 to 100 million bbl. The main oil-producing zones are two marine sandstone beds in the Grandstand formation of Cretaceous age: these are referred to as the upper and lower sands. Good oil shows were found throughout the sand settions in the first three wells drilled on the structure, but the highest rate of oil production obtained on any 01 the many tests was about 24 BOPD. These first wells were drilled with conventional rotary methods using water-base mud; later wells were drilled either with cablc tools using brine or rotary tools using oil or oil-base mud. These experiments were successful as is shown by comparing the oil production from Well No. 2 with that from No. 5. These two wells are only 200 ft apart and are located at about the same elevation on the structure. Well No. 2. drilled with a rotary rig using water-base mud, was abandoned as a dry hole after all formation tests were negative. Well No. 5. drilled with cable tools and reamed with a rotary using oil, pumped 400 BOPD which was the maximum capacity of the pump and less than the capacity of the well. These field results indicated that the producing sands were extremely "water sensitive" and it was assumed that the cause of this sensitivity was the presence of swelling clays in the sands. Because of the very unusual reservoir conditions and the difficulties encountered in completing oil wells in the permafrost. the Navy asked the U. S. Bureau of Mines to make laboratory studies under simulated permafrost conditions to assist them in estimating the production potential of the field and the recoverable reserves. These tests were designed to determine the cause of the plugging of wells in the permafrost and to test oil recovery from frozen sand by solution-gas expansion with the oil gas-saturated at very low pressures. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS AND PROCEDURES Samples Analyzed Core samples were analyzed that represent the lower sand in Umiat Well No. 7, the upper sand in No. 3. and both the upper and lower sands in No. 9. These sands should be productive in all of the wells because of their location on the structure. Core samples from