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(There are 82 Local Sections in the United States, 10 Foreign) ADIRONDACK Established June 18, 1952 Official year begins in January Meets next to last Saturday monthly April through October Local Section Dues AIME Mbrs $2 Affiliate Mbrs $3 Severn P Brown, Chairman George E Erdman, Vice-Chairman Patrick F Farrell, Secretary-Treasurer Republic Steel Corp Mineville, N Y

Jan 1, 1960

By D. T. Goettge, E. L. Robinson

The phase changes occurring in low carbon steel during hot strip mill rolling are shown to be metallurgically significant when related to commonly used temperature control points, particularly finishing and coiling temperatures. In combination, these temperatures are shown to have an important influence on the level and uniformity of hardness, grain size, and carbide characteristics of the finished hot and cold rolled sheets. PRODUCTION of wide flat-rolled products ordinarily requires a number of operations in sequence to prepare the material for shipment to the customer. Most products are tailor-made for specific end uses, with each operation contributing certain properties to the finished material. Since the characteristics imparted to the semifinished product by a given step in processing carry through to the finished product in varying degrees, it is important that the intermediate stages of production of flat-rolled strip be carried out with the same care which characterizes the last or finishing operations. The step of hot strip mill rolling is common to the production of all of the various types of flat-rolled product; therefore, the hot strip rolling is an especially important point at which to recognize and control those variables which have an effect on the surface characteristics and metallurgical properties of the finished product and which influence the ease of conducting subsequent operations. Orders entered at a producing mill usually show an end use or describe an article or part into which the ordered product is to be fabricated. Applying his experience as to the properties necessary in a finished sheet to suit the end use and to perform successfully in the fabrication involved, the metallurgist selects a steel of suitable composition and deoxidation practice, and slabs of appropriate dimensions are produced for rolling on the hot strip mill. At this stage of processing, the metallurgist faces the problem of controlling hot strip mill practice in the light of his diagnosis of the properties necessary to meet the end use, paying due attention to the accompanying problem of producing a strip which can meet processing requirements on subsequent units in the mill. It is the purpose of this paper to describe some of the factors which he must consider in solving these problems and to indicate some of the principles which guide him. Equipment, Physical Requirements of the Strip, and Temperature Measurement The metallurgist must, of course, be familiar with the physical layout of the mill, the temperature-measuring equipment available, and the physical requirements of the hot strip product before he can apply his metallurgical knowledge to the problem; hence, the first section will consist of a brief discussion of these matters. The usual hot strip mill consists of reheating furnaces, five or six roughing stands including a scale-breaker, holding table, and second scalebreaker, six-stand finishing mill, runout table with spray cooling facilities, and coilers. A schematic diagram of a typical layout is shown in Fig. 1. Slab temperatures are primarily a function of heating time and furnace temperatures, while mill speeds, spray practice, drafting practice, available water pressure, temperature of the cooling water, cross sectional dimensions of the strip, coil size, and equipment limitations, either singly or in combination, determine what rolling temperatures are practical on a given hot strip mill unit. Thus, it is possible that a set of temperatures which can be utilized successfully on one mill cannot be used on another. However, adjustments in temperatures and rolling practice can usually be made to develop the desired metallurgical properties. In addition to the metallurgical properties developed through proper temperature control, the hot strip mill must also provide strip with certain physical attributes which may be summarized as follows: Strip Cross Section—The strip contour should conform to a section which will give the best results in the cold reduction operation. This is generally recognized as a strip with 0.001 to 0.003 in. crown or shoulder-to-shoulder convexity depending on width, and freedom from concave, flat, or wedge-shaped cross sections which cause metal buildup in cold reduction. Excessive drop off in thickness at the edges can also be very detrimental in cold reducing to light gages. Gage, Width, and Camber—All of these must be controlled. For example, rundown or increasing thickness from the front to the back of the coil results in nonuniformity in the thickness of hot-rolled sheet product and in added difficulty with gage and welds in cold reduction. Similarly, excessive width variation is the cause of guide trouble and excessive edge scrap at later stages of processing, while excessive camber is the source of a variety of processing troubles. Type of Oxide—Product intended for pickling should have a predominance of the type of oxide most easily removable in sulfuric acid. It is generally recognized that this type is obtained by use of maximum table cooling water and cold coiling

Jan 1, 1957

By Bruno V. E. Nordberg

Hoisting is one of the earliest endeavors of man with machinery, for hoisting was probably used by the early Egyptians. Treadmills were used for general hoisting until early in the nineteenth century and it was a short step only to attach a Watt steam engine to the rope drum of a hoist. One of the earliest steam hoists was built for a coal mine at Frisne, near Valenciennes, France. It was a remarkable piece of engineering created by James Watt in 1811, using a wooden drum on a vertical shaft. This followed the crude hoist by Holtzhausen in 1803, which used a drum of wood on a horizontal shaft.' In this country there were examples of crude mine hoists, which have been developed into the efficient machines in use today. African and Australian mines show examples of both extremes, and have an array of fine hoisting equipment exemplified in those built by British manufacturers. The influence of both English and American engineering in hoisting is interestingly evident in Canada. The information available to the writer does not reveal this to be true of South Africa, although American-built hoists have been furnished. Mining camps develop their own style of equipment, adapted to local conditions. For instance, the Butte mining district adheres to the straight drum with friction clutches, because of the great number of levels from which hoisting is done or to which men and material are lowered and the necessity for hoisting or lowering unbalanced. The north Michigan copper country uses both straight and cylindroconical drums and hoists continually in balance, so that the drums are not clutched to the main driving shaft. The Joplin mining district, Missouri, has its own peculiar small hoists. Other individual mines or localities in which a number of mines have been developed show individualistic types of hoists, depending upon their particular problems. In each instance, however, the particular problem must be carefully analyzed, as conditions are seldom so near the same that a number of identical hoists can be used to advantage.

Jan 1, 1940

By Bruno V. E. Nordberg

Hoisting is one of the earliest endeavors of man with machinery, for hoisting was probably used by the early Egyptians. Treadmills were used for general hoisting until early in the nineteenth century and it was a short step only to attach a Watt steam engine to the rope drum of a hoist. One of the earliest steam hoists was built for a coal mine at Frisne, near Valenciennes, France. It was a remarkable piece of engineering created by James Watt in 1811, using a wooden drum on a vertical shaft. This followed the crude hoist by Holtzhausen in 1803, which used a drum of wood on a horizontal shaft.' In this country there were examples of crude mine hoists, which have been developed into the efficient machines in use today. African and Australian mines show examples of both extremes, and have an array of fine hoisting equipment exemplified in those built by British manufacturers. The influence of both English and American engineering in hoisting is interestingly evident in Canada. The information available to the writer does not reveal this to be true of South Africa, although American-built hoists have been furnished. Mining camps develop their own style of equipment, adapted to local conditions. For instance, the Butte mining district adheres to the straight drum with friction clutches, because of the great number of levels from which hoisting is done or to which men and material are lowered and the necessity for hoisting or lowering unbalanced. The north Michigan copper country uses both straight and cylindroconical drums and hoists continually in balance, so that the drums are not clutched to the main driving shaft. The Joplin mining district, Missouri, has its own peculiar small hoists. Other individual mines or localities in which a number of mines have been developed show individualistic types of hoists, depending upon their particular problems. In each instance, however, the particular problem must be carefully analyzed, as conditions are seldom so near the same that a number of identical hoists can be used to advantage.

Jan 1, 1940

By D. W. Fuerstenau, D. A. Sullevan

In the experimental work for this comparison of wet and dry grinding, it was found that the size distributions for wet grinding operations are characterized by a constant value of the distribution modulus, (a; whereas, for dry grinding the distribution modulus decreases slightly with increased size reduction. Wet grindability seems independent of the weight of material in the mill while dry grindability depends on weight. Experimental data and eqmtions for each process are presented for noncleavable isotropic material, for cleavable or material in which there is some form of internal stress, and for energy consumption. The equation ED/EW=BK-? (where ED and Ew are, respectively, energy for wet and dry grinding, k is the size modulus, and B and ? are constants) was found to give the ratio of energy. Dry grinding is generally considered to require more energy than wet grinding. Taggart' states that power consumption in wet grinding ranges from 60 to 90 pct of that required for dry grinding. Bond' states that dry grinding requires one third more power than wet grinding. It is interesting that Rose and Sullivan' note this same difference in power required for wet and dry grinding, but they state that on purely mechanical grounds it is difficult to see any great difference in fundamental principles between wet and dry milling, since dry milling may be regarded as wet milling with a fluid of low viscosity (i.e., air vs water). Yet it must be the viscosity of the fluid that is responsible for the differences between wet and dry grinding. Probably the most comprehensive investigation comparing wet and dry grinding has been that made by Coghill and Devaney. They compared the grind-ability of both chert and dolomite in a 19x36-in. batch ball mill under both wet and dry conditions. In these tests the weight of ore in the mill was varied from 35 to 200 lb and each grinding test was carried out for such period of time that the amount of -200-mesh material in the product was essentially the same for each test with a given material. Cog-hill and DeVaney's data for the grindability of dolomite, which are reproduced in Fig. 1, show that a comparison between wet and dry grinding is com- plex. The comminution of a material by a wet grinding method is characterized by a constant grindability over a wide range of mill loadings. Since grindability is the weight of material comminuted per unit of energy expended, it is equivalent to (w)/ (p)(t), where W is the weight of material being ground, P is the power, and t is the grinding time. In the case of wet grinding, the grindability of dolomite in the Coghill and DeVaney experiments was 0.546 * 0.009 ton per hp-hr when the load of dolomite in the mill ranged from 50 to 200 lb. On the other hand, for dry grinding no such simple relationship was found to exist between power, time, and weight of material in the mill. Dry grinding efficiency appears to depend greatly upon the amount of material within the mill. When the mill contained

Jan 1, 1961

By Thomas H. Sheldon

In the zeal for opening up new ore-bodies, or for extracting the ore from attractive bodies already opened up, we very often lose sight of the fact, that, after all, the operation of a mine is a business proposition, pure and simple, and, for the best working-results, should be treated upon a strict business basis. Of course, in every mine of consequence, a record is kept of expenditures and receipts, and such glittering generalities as " gross receipts," " net receipts," " mining expenses," and a per cent. profit," can be told to the cent; but does this record show economy of management, as compared either with the same record of other months, or with the record of other mines of the same class ? Moreover, if such a record shows that the cost of mining is high, does it in any way enable the manager to put his finger on the leakage ? Does it necessarily follow that a mine which makes a profit of, say, 40 per cent. on 25-dollar ore, is doing less economical mining than one which saves 60 per cent. on 80-dollar ore ? Of course the figures in the latter case look the more attractive; yet when it comes to the point of saving everything which can be saved, and of cutting down expenses to the lowest possible cost of operation, the former mine is doubtless on the firmer and more economical financial basis. But as to the relative merits of the system of mining in the two cases, nothing could be decided without a basis of detailed comparison ; if one system is more economical than the other, why is it so, and wherein does the advantage lie ? This can be shown only by keeping accurately the cost of each mining operation. And no matter how dissimilar two mines may be in character and operation, yet there are a few general heads common to all mining operations. In the first place, it is necessary to break the ore from the solid ground;

Jan 1, 1907

By Charles Pack

EXTENSIVE progress has been made in the metallurgy of alloys for die castings. Enthusiastic proponents of some alloys are inclined to make extravagant claims for their materials, which may be justified by physical tests on test bars made from the respective alloys but are seldom justified by the results obtained with commercial die castings made from those alloys. Chemical analysis of the test bars and castings fails to determine the cause of these variations, since they are due to other physical factors entering into the commercial production of die castings. In this paper, an attempt will be made to outline some of the factors in commercial die-casting practice to which these variable results may be attributed, in the hope that the manufacturer of die castings, recognizing the importance of these factors, will devote more attention to them in the design and construction of dies and equipment. In 1914,1 the author defined die castings as "metal castings made by forcing molten metal, underpressure, into metallic molds or dies." This definition was given in order to differentiate die castings from other molded metal products such as "permanent-mold" castings, "slush" castings and similar products that are sometimes erroneously termed die castings. The term "die casting" could be interpreted to include all castings made in metal molds or dies; but since this term, like most of our technical nomenclature, has been developed by commercial practice we must look to this practice for its proper definition. The Germans, with their usual devotion to descriptive names, have adopted the name of spritzguss (squirt cast) for die castings. Undoubtedly this name is more descriptive of the die-casting process, where the metal is literally squirted into the die and serves to differentiate this process from other metal mold processes, where the metal is poured into the die. In the earlier paper mentioned, the author also emphasized the fact that the definition given for die castings indicated clearly that the satisfactory operation of the process must comprise three factors, all of which must be considered of vital importance to the successful operation of the die-casting process:

Jan 1, 1930

By C. W. Kovach, A. Moskowitz

Studies were undertaken to investigate the effects of manganese content on the machinability and other Properties of a free machining martensitic stainless steel (AISI Type 416). Machinability was found to be significantly improved in steels of high manganese content, and a direct relationship was obtained between machinability and steel Mn:S ratio. As the manganese content of the steel increases, the sulfide Phase present changes from CrS to (FeMn)Cr2S4 to (MnFeCr)S, and finally to MnS. The average sulfide inclusion hardness decreases through the same range of increasing manganese content. The mechanism for machinability improvement is discussed in terms of a soft ductile sulfide affecting deformation in the secondary shear zone. Type 416 containing relatively high manganese for improved machinability shows good general properties. The effects of increasing manganese content on mechanical properties, cold formability, and corrosion resistance are described. THE addition of sulfur is commonly used to improve the machinability of stainless steels. However, little attention has been paid in the past to the composition and characteristics of the sulfur-containing phase or phases present in these resulfurized steels. Recent information on the properties of sulfide phases, and their role in metal cutting, suggests that variations in these phases could have critical effects on machin-ability, as well as important effects on formability and other properties such as corrosion resistance. Manganese, chromium, and iron are strong sulfide forming elements present in stainless steels! of these, manganese has the greatest sulfide forming tendency and iron the least.1"1 The manganese content of resul-furized 13 pct Cr steels, often about 0.5 pct, can be insufficient or only barely sufficient to combine with the sulfur that is present; thus, the precise level of manganese can strongly influence the nature of the sulfide phase. Sulfide phases which may be present in stainless steels have been reported to include CrS, a spinel-type sulfide, chromium-rich manganese sul-fide, and manganese Sulfide.5,6 Detailed phase relationships for the Fel3Cr-Mn-S system have been reported by the present investigators,7 and a portion of this work will be referred to subsequently in this paper. Recent work by Kiessling6 and Chao et a1.8 has shown that sulfide phases can display wide variations in hardness, and may undergo considerable plastic deformation under isostatic loading.9-12 Early theories of metal cutting attributed the influence of sulfur to a lubricating effect. It is now apparent that the influence of the nonmetallic inclusions and their properties on crack initiation, deformation in the shear zones, and boundary films must also be considered in relation to the machining process. This paper presents the results of studies conducted to relate machinability to the various sulfide phases which occur in stainless steels. This work has led to the development of alloys with improved machinability, and has generated information on the effects of inclusions on metal cutting processes. Effects of sulfide inclusions and steel composition on other important metallurgical properties are also discussed. MATERIALS For drill machinability and inclusion studies, 10 lb laboratory heats were melted in an air induction furnace. These heats were made with sulfur contents be tween 0.10 and 0.50 pct and manganese contents be tween 0.05 and 3.0 pct. Residual elements were added to the heats in amounts typical for commercial steels. The typical compositional range covered by the heats is shown below: C Mn P S Si Ni Cr Mo Cu N 0.10 0.05 0.007 (M0 0.40 0.40 13.0 0.20 0.10 0.03 3.0 0750 The laboratory ingots were forged in the temperature range of 1800" to 2100°F to 3/4-in. sq bars, and all bars tempered to a hardness aim of 200 Bhn prior to testing. Because of differences in composition and tempering response, the tempered bars showed some variation in hardness (175 to 275 Bhn) as well as variations in delta ferrite content (0 to 50 pct). Composition, hardness, and delta ferrite content were considered in the analysis of the machinability data. Additional tests involving tool-life evaluation and determination of other properties were conducted on materials from commercially melted and processed 15-ton electric furnace heats. TESTS AND PROCEDURES Machinability of the laboratory heats was evaluated in a drill test. In this test, 1/4-in. diam holes, 0.4 in. deep, were drilled alternately in a test bar and in a standard bar for a total of four holes in each. This sequence was repeated three times using a freshly sharpened drill each time. The average time required to drill a hole in the test bar was compared to that for the standard bar. A drill machinability rating was assigned to the test bar relative to a rating of 100

Jan 1, 1970

SME Membership Directory Listings of record March 31, 1072 SOCIETY OF MINING ENGINEERS OF AIME

Jan 7, 1972

By P. D. P. Hamilton

In any mining district where benefication of the ores is practiced, one can usually observe several types of flow sheets even though the various producers are milling ore from the same geological formations. It is obviously impossible to describe all the mills in the Porcupine district. However, the following description of some of them is of particular interest in that it shows where one mill has paid particular attention to corduroy blanket practice; one to gravity concentration of sulfides for intensive cyanidation of the values therein contained; one to flotation of values and cyanidation of this product only; and others where small variations of standard all-slime cyanidation practice prevail. In all cases it will be seen that cyanidation is the basic principle. Discussions involving the difference in the flow sheets and the reasons for them will always be of value to those interested in the art. The author of this article, however, believes that such discussions should originate from the operators of the mills under discussion. For this reason no comparisons or discussion will be included in the description of the mills mentioned. Should any reader of this article obtain information therefrom which will be of value to him in helping to solve his own particular problems, the author will consider that the article has satisfactorily served its purpose. All values mentioned throughout this article are based on the value of gold at $20.67 per ounce. Coniaurum Mines, Limited The ore of the Coniaurium mines consists of a mineralized schist and quartz containing about 2.5 per cent sulfides. Owing to the low grade of ore developed in the mine, extreme care has had to be exercised throughout the entire mining and milling operation in order that an operating profit might be obtained. The management, however, has been able to keep costs down, with the result that at present the outlook for the property is considerably brighter than it has been in the past. This is partly due to the fact that it is now known how to mine and treat

Jan 1, 1935

By John G. Hall

The pumping operations at the Chief mine have been unique in the respect that for many years the entire flow of water into the mine has been disposed of by pumping into natural underground "caverns" or "sinks." Volumes up to 4000 gpm have been pumped into these caverns with no apparent tendency for the caverns to fill with water, and it has never been proven that any of the water returns to the mine workings. Major pumping operations have been carried on during two periods, the first from 1918 to 1927, and the second from 1942 to the present time. Early Pumping Operations CHIEF MINE The Chief Consolidated Mining Co. was organized in 1909, and for the following nine years ore was developed and mined from the 600 level down to the 1800 level, all above the permanent water table, the 1820 level. The ore occurs as extremely-irregular pipes of replacement ore in limestone, and to date a total of approximately 2 1/2 million tons of ore has been produced. The ore was highly oxidized down to the permanent water level, and some highly-oxidized ore runs occur beneath the permanent water table. In 1916, with extensive mining being done on the 1800 level, 20 ft above the water table, there were indications that a zone of secondary enrichment might exist below the water, and in order to follow the ore runs to greater depth, it was realized that arrangements would have to be Made to pump water to the surface. The original pumping installation was designed to pump 350 gpm in five stages against a 1900-ft head to the surface. By January 1919, the water had been lowered to the 1900 level and an excellent grade of silver-lead ore was being produced from the zone of secondary enrichment. At this point. the flow of water equalled the capacity of the pumps, and pumps of an additional 1000 gpln were installed to supplement the original system. By January 1920, the water had been lowered approximately 100 ft, and the total flow of water was 1000 gpm. The water was being pumped from many different places in the mine where ore was being followed downward, with 27 different pumps operating below the 1800 level, mainly Cameron air-driven sinker pumps. These first sinking pumps were cumbersome and inefficient, and each of the larger pumps weighed approximately three tons and required tremeridous volumes of compressed air. During this period, an exploration drift being extended north and west from the Chief shaft on the 1600 level encountered a large natural cavern some 2000 ft from the shaft. This cavern in places measured 60 ft in diameter. Sometime later the disposing of water into this cavern was suggested, and as an experiment to determine the results of such an operation, an attempt was Made to fill the cavern by pumping in a small volume of water, but the water disappeared as fast as it was discharged into the cavern. It was decided then to try the cavern as a drainage outlet for the entire volume of water being pumped to the surface, and the water apparently did not return to the mine workings. Subsequently water up to 3000 gpm was pumped into this cavern. An attempt was made to determine whether any water was being returned from the cavern to the lower workings, and 100 lb of sodium fluorescein salt was added to the water discharged into the cavern, but no trace of it was found in the drainage water in the mine. Results of another such test will be described later.

Jan 1, 1950

By John M. Kelly

This report covers the development, exploratory drilling, and production of oil and gas in New Mexico during 1945. The statistical information was gathered from state regulatory agencies and other sources believed to be reliable; it is presented here in combined form for general information only, and the author assumes no responsibility for its accuracy or completeness.

Jan 1, 1946

By R. W. Cahn, C. D. Graham

The rate of growth of a single grain growing into a strained aluminum single crystal, measured by the conventional heat-cool-etch technique, is shown to decrease with time at temperature. The growth rate measured by means of X-rays, with the sample continuously at temperature, is found to be linear. Evidence is presented to show that the decreasing growth rate obtained by the conventional technique is due to abnormal recovery in the strained grain, and that the recovery in turn results from the heating and cooling cycles, rather than from the effects of etching. The experimental apparatus is described in an appendix. FREQUENTLY, the rate of grain boundary motion during recrystallization is determined by heating a sample to a known temperature for a given time, cooling to room temperature, and etching to reveal the boundary position. The cycle of operations is repeated as many times as necessary to establish the rate of boundary motion. Although this heat-cool-etch technique has been used by a number of workers over a period of many years,'-!' other investigators have encountered difficulty with the method."'. " They have attributed the erratic results to the effects of repeated heating and cooling, or of etching, or both, and have adopted an alternative experimental procedure in which a number of identical samples are employed, each sample being cooled and etched only once. This alternative method ove1.comes some difficulties, but introduces others. In particular, the incubation periods of the observed grains are unknown: any effect of crystal orientation on growth rate cannot be determined easily. A preferable method would be to measure the motion of a recrystallizing grain boundary with the sample at temperature without etching," but such measurements have in the past been restricted to nonmetals. This paper describes the construction and operation of a device, the goniometer furnace, with which the position of a moving grain boundary between a recrystallizing grain and the strained single crystal into which it grows can be measured by means of X-rays, with the sample maintained continuously at temperature. Goniometer Furnace The operating principle of the goniometer furnace is shown in Fig. 1. The sample, in the form of a bicrystal strip, is surrounded by a furnace, not shown in the sketch, and can be rotated about the two axes A and B which intersect at the point where the X-ray beam strikes the strip. The strip is oriented so that one of the two grains gives a strong Bragg reflection, which is detected by a suitably placed Geiger-Miiller counter coupled to a counting-rate meter When the strip is moved parallel to its own length in the furnace, arrow C, so that the X-ray beam strikes the second grain, there is in general no strong reflection. By noting the position of the strip at which the drop in Geiger counter reading occurs, it is possible to determine the position of the boundary. Measuring the change in boundary position with time at temperature gives the rate of growth of the recrystallizing grain. Details of the construction and operation of the goniometer furnace are given in the Appendix. Measurements showed that the temperature in the furnace was uniform within ±10°C over its working length of about 28 cm. The temperature at the measuring position, i.e., at the point where the X-ray beam struck the sample, was estimated to be constant within ±2oC. Using the goniometer furnace, the position of a stationary boundary could be measured with a reproducibility of ±0.3 mm. At elevated temperatures, 500" to 625"C, with the boundary in motion and the X-ray reflection less sharp, the estimated accuracy of each measured boundary position dropped to about ±1 mm. Experimental Results The test pieces were single crystals of 99.6 pet A1 —principal impurities 0.19 pet Fe and 0.12 pet Si— 1 mm by 1 cm in cross section and 6 to 10 cm in length, grown by the strain-anneal method. This relatively low purity material was used because of the difficulty encountered in producing strain-anneal single crystals of very high purity—99.996 pet—

Jan 1, 1957

By B. E. Eakin, R. T. Ellington

An apparatus and a procedure for determining the viscosity behavior of hydrocarbons at pressures up to 10,000 psia and temperatures between 77 and 400° F are described. The equipment is suitable for measuring viscosity of either the liquid or vapor phases or the fluid above the two-phase envelope for systems exhihiting retrograde phenomena, according no the phase state of the system within these ranges of temperature and pressure. Equations are developed for calculation of viscosity from the experimental measurements, and new data for the viscosities of ethane and propane at 77° F are reported. INTRODUCTION With the advent of higher pressures and temperatures in industrial processes and deep petroleum and natural gas reservoirs, demand has increased for accurate values of physical properties of hydrocarbons under these conditions. Proportionately, more frequent occurrence of natural gas and condensate-type fluids is encountered as fluid hydrocarbons are discovered at greater depths. This increases the importance, to the reservoir engineer, of being able to predict accurately the physical properties of light hydrocarbon systems in the dense-gas and light-liquid phase states. Reliable gas viscosity data are limited primarily to measurements made on pure components near ambient temperature and at low pressures. Few investigations have been reported for high pressures, and except for methane, data on light hydrocarbons are subject to question. This is demonstrated by the large discrepancy between sets of data on the same component reported by different investigators. For mixtures in the dense gas and light liquid regions and for fluids exhibiting retrograde behavior there are very few published experimental data. Viscosity data for methane have been reported by Bicher and Katz,1 Sage and Lacey,12 Comings, et al,3 Golubev,3 and Carr,3 with good agreement among the last three sets of data. Comings, Golubev and Carr utilized capillary tube instruments for which the theory of fluid flow is well established. The theory permits calculation of the viscosity directly from the experi- mental data and dimensions of the instrument alone. Sage and Lacey, and Bicher and Katz used rolling-ball viscometers. The theory of the rolling-ball viscometer has not been completely established, and these instruments presently require calibration by use of fluids of known viscosity behavior before viscosities of test fluids can be measured. To obtain accurate data it is necessary that the rolling-ball viscometers be calibrated by use of fluids of density and viscosity similar to the test fluids, a difficult selection for the gas phase. From the methane data and experimental tests on various natural gases, Carr developed a correlation for predicting the PVT behavior of light natural gases.2,3,4 This correlation was based on data for a very limited composition range; its application to rich gases and condensate fluids is questionable. The object of this investigation is to develop an instrument which can be used to obtain viscosity data at reservoir temperatures and pressures, for rich gases, condensate-type systems above the two-phase envelope and light liquid mixtures. These data will be used in an effort to develop correlations to represent the viscosity behavior of these fluids. APPARATUS In a previous viscosity study Carr2 utilized a modified Rankine capillary viscometer configuration," Fig. 1. In this instrument the gas to be tested is forced through the capillary tube in laminar flow by motion of a mercury pellet in the fall tube, the measured displacement time being that required for the mercury slug to move between the brass timer rings. The viscometer is constructed of glass and mounted in a steel pressure vessel. The test gas pressure in the viscometer is balanced by an inert gas (usually nitrogen) in the vessel. Excellent results have been obtained with instruments of this type, with Carr2 and Comings5 reporting repro-ducibilities of 99.5 to 99.3 per cent and an estimated absolute accuracy of 99 per cent. However, these instruments have limitations which have precluded their use for liquids. The need for maintaining a balance between pressures of the test fluid and inert gas in the viscometer vessel presents operating problems, and requires charging the test fluid to the viscometer very slowly. The principle drawback to the Rankine unit is behavior of the mercury slug which provides the pressure differential across the capillary. When even trace quantities of propane or heavier hydrocarbons are present in the test gas, the mercury tends to subdivide

By M. R. J. Wyllie, Walter D. Rose

The use of electrical well logs for the quantitative determination of such reservoir parameters as connate water saturation, formation permeability and connate water salinity has recently been attracting the attention of a number of workers1,2,3,4,5. While the theory of the determination of connate water salinity from the self potential S.P. log has received rather detailed treatment, relatively little attention has been paid to the theoretical aspects involved in the quantitative interpretation of resistivity data. It is clear that if electrical well logs can be used for the quantitative evaluation of physical characteristics of reservoir rock, they will provide a valuable tool to supplement cheaply information obtained by more laborious core analysis. In certain cases it is conceivable that the coring program could be considerably curtailed if the electric log could be relied upon to give reasonably accurate quantitative information. It is our object in this paper to examine the theoretical basis of quantitative log interpretation as expressed in such well-established logging concepts as formation factor and cementation factor. It is also our object to investigate the physical aspects of the rela- tionship which is presumed to exist between resistivity index and brine saturation in reservoir rock. In particular, we will endeavor to draw attention to the fact that it is possible to express these logging concepts in terms of capillary pressure-saturation relationships, permeability and tortuosity, parameters which we will consider in this paper to be fundamentally indicative of rock texture. The probability of being able to obtain from log recordings alone the data theoretically essential to permit quantitative log interpretatiou will be examined, and consideration will also be given to the problem of formulating simple semi-empirical relationships for use in the field. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS The concept of formation resistivity factor, or as it is now commonly called, formation factor, appears to have been introduced by G. E. Archie",". Formation resistivity factor as defined by Archie is the resistivity of a rock 100 per cent brine-saturated divided by the resistivity of the brine. This relationship had previously been used by physical chemists and the concept is, for example, implicit in an early treatment by Fricke7 of the conductivity of aqueous slurries. Archie was able to establish the fact that although the relationship between formation factor and porosity did not change too greatly for different rock textures, the relationship between formation factor and permeability was markedly dependent on rock texture. The relationship found by Archie between formation factor and porosity was expanded by H. Guyod8. Archie had suggested that the formation factor, F, could be expressed in terms of the porosity, F, as follows: F =F-m .... (11 where, F = effective porosity fraction of the sand, and, m = an exponent greater than about 1.3. Guyod introduced the term cementation factor for the exponent, m, since it may be qualitatively shown that formation factor for any given porosity tends to increase as the sand becomes more cemented. It would appear that the concept of m as an exponent representing the cementation in a sand is strictly only of qualitative value, since the quantitative estimation of m by means other than the determination of F and F has not been possible. Guyod suggests that m can be estimated from a visual examination of a sample of rock, but this method appears to be both arbitrary and unreliable. It can be said, however, that in intergranular reservoirs of practical interest, the range of m is from about 1.4 to 3.0. A possible explanation for the fact that m is found to lie between these limits will be offered below. The determination of formation factor is an essential preliminary to the

Jan 1, 1950

By M. A. Orehoski, J. M. Hodge

It is now generally conceded that if a steel is to develop optimum physical properties in the conventionally quenched and tempered condition, the microstruc- ture after quenching should consist wholly of martensite; and that transformation of austenite to intermediate-temperature products during quenching will have a deleterious effect upon the physical properties, particularly the toughness, of the tempered material. This implies that, in order to obtain the optimum physical properties from a given steel, its "harden-ability " should be high enough to suppress all transformation except that to martensite under the heating and quenching conditions to which it will be subjected, and this premise is probably the most important reason for hardenability control. However, the criterion of hardenability that at present is most widely accepted and used is based on a microstructure of 50 per cent martensite. This criterion, which was suggested by Grossmann,' does have considerable justification. It may be readily measured by a fracture or etch test and, since it represents the point at which the hardness is changing most rapidly with variations in cooling rate, it may be determined empirically from a hardness-depth curve by determining the point of steepest slope (the inflection point). Furthermore, in plain carbon steels or in steels of low hardenability, the difference in hardenability expressed in

Jan 1, 1947

By J. M. Hodge, M. A. Orehoski

It is now generally conceded that if a steel is to develop optimum physical properties in the conventionally quenched and tempered condition, the microstruc- ture after quenching should consist wholly of martensite; and that transformation of austenite to intermediate-temperature products during quenching will have a deleterious effect upon the physical properties, particularly the toughness, of the tempered material. This implies that, in order to obtain the optimum physical properties from a given steel, its "harden-ability " should be high enough to suppress all transformation except that to martensite under the heating and quenching conditions to which it will be subjected, and this premise is probably the most important reason for hardenability control. However, the criterion of hardenability that at present is most widely accepted and used is based on a microstructure of 50 per cent martensite. This criterion, which was suggested by Grossmann,' does have considerable justification. It may be readily measured by a fracture or etch test and, since it represents the point at which the hardness is changing most rapidly with variations in cooling rate, it may be determined empirically from a hardness-depth curve by determining the point of steepest slope (the inflection point). Furthermore, in plain carbon steels or in steels of low hardenability, the difference in hardenability expressed in

Jan 1, 1947

By AIME

A GEOLOGIST --one versed in geology, the science which treats of the history of the earth and its life, especially as recorded in the rocks; that is Webster's definition. William Embry Wrather-one of the country's foremost geologists who heads the U. S. Geological Survey; this is the 1948 President of the Institute. He has studied the geology of areas on the face of the earth as far-flung as Texas and the Balkans, and now heads the world's largest staff of geologists. Vital statistics on Dr. Wrather would show his place of birth as Brandenburg, Ky., the year 1883. He will celebrate his threescore and five years of full living the twentieth of this month. As is usual in biographical sketches of this nature, the formative years of youth, and in many ways the most important years of one's life (since professional tendencies as well as many important personal decisions are evidenced before the teens are left behind) are passed over with the mere fact noted that a degree was earned at such and such educational institution. And so we note that Dr. Wrather received his Ph.B. degree at the University of Chicago in 1907, and followed up that degree with two years of graduate study.

Jan 1, 1948

By P. E. Baker

An experimental study of heat flow in steam flooding was carried out with steam displacing water in a plane-radial fluid-flow model. Temperature distributions in the model reservoir, overburden, and substratum were measured at frequent intervals during flooding by means of a fixed array of thermocouples. Heat losses to overburden and substratum and the division of heat between the steam and hot-water zones in the reservoir were calculated from the temperature data by performing numerical integrations over the appropriate volumes. Temperature profiles and heat distribution results are presented. Some results were (1) the fraction of injected heat that is lost to overburden and substratum, when expressed as a function of time, did not depend on injection rate; (2) a significant portion of the injected heat was contained in the hot-water zone ahead of and underlying the steam front in the reservoir. The division of heat between the steam and hot-water zones did depend on injection rate; and (3) considerable gravity override was observed. The experimental results are compared with those of several published theoretical studies of heat transfer in hot-fluid injection; approximate agreement on heat losses is found with some of the most idealized theories. A valid comparison cannot be made in regard to steam us hot-water zone; basic interpretation of the hot-water zone, in terms of a vertical steam front, is clouded by gravity override in the experiments. INTRODUCTION The experimental study reported here primarily concerns two problems of heat transfer in steam flooding that have economic and engineering importance. These are (1) the fraction of injected heat lost to the overburden and substratum, and (2) the division of the remaining heat between a zone containing steam and a zone of hot water at lower-than-boiling temperature. The volume of the steamed region, which has a direct effect on oil recovery, can be calculated readily from these results. Several valuable theoretical studies have been published on this problem, but no experimental tests of the theories have previously appeared. Tests were needed because the effects of the necessary simplifications in the theories could not be determined otherwise. The basic, untested theoretical problem is the effect of "decoupling" heat and mass transfer, and the resulting inability to include the effects of heat transfer and condensation on fluid flow. The theoretical problem solved so far has been a heat transfer problem in which fluid is present as a heat carrier and flows in a stipulated manner, either linear or plane-radial. The simplifications that have sometimes been made in regard to thermal conductivity by, for example, Marx and Langenheim,l Lauwerier2 and Thomas3 apparently do not have an important effect on heat loss calculations, although the results of the different methods disagree to a certain extent, as shown by Spillette4 and by Ramey.5 A recent paper by the author6 compared the results of experiments in hot-water flooding with several theoretical results and showed a rather poor agreement. It will be seen that the experimental heat loss results for steam flooding, however, show acceptable agreement. These comparisons are discussed in a later section. EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE The system studied was one in which a sand pack, initially water saturated and at a uniform temperature, was flooded with steam at a constant rate and temperature. The temperature distribution in the "reservoir" and adjacent "strata" was measured with an array of thermocouples, and heat losses were determined from these measurements. The sand pack contained no oil because the only concern of the experiments was heat flow, and it was important to have the flow pattern as simple

Jan 1, 1970

By R. L. Slobod, C. Gatlin

This .study defines the basic mechanism of the mis-cible displacerrzent of oil and writer from porous Medici by various water-driven alcohol .slugs. Three distinct alcohol slug processes were .studied. Considerable data concerning the quanity of alcohol required for oil recovery were also obtained. All data were obtained in a 1-in. diameter, 100-ft long, unconsolidated core. The porosity of this system was 35 per cent. and the permeability was approxitrlately 4 darcies. Total core pore volume wax 5,716 cc. All displacements were conducted at a constant injection rate of 5 to 6 cc//min, which corresponds to a frontal advance of 5 ro 6 ft/hr. The first portion of this paper is concerned with 111 use of one alcohol—isopropyl—a\. the slug material. Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is completely miscible with both oil rind water; however, miscibility of the threc-component systems, oil-water-IPA, requires a relutively. high concentration of IPA. Hence, the displocement is not of the misoible type unless the IPA concentration is maintained above some critical value. A slug of IPA equal to only 13.5 per cent of the pore volume was jound to be sufficient to obtain complete recover?, of residua1 naphtha. In later studies two distinct process variations were developed. The firsr of these utilized methyl alcohol (MA) and IPA as slug materials. It was shown that methyl alcohol may he substituted for IPA at the front and rear of the slug with no loss of oil recovery. A .slug of 4 per cent MA-4 per cent IPA-4 per cent MA was sufficient for complere oil recovery. Because MA is considerably cheaper than IPA, this represents an important step toward economic application. A .second process variation used normal butyl alcohol (nBA) and MA as the composite slug, the nBA segnzent being injected first. This technique requires the smallest total slug size (approximately 10 per cent) of all processes studied. The high cost of nBA, however, precludes commercial application. It is possible that this basic process, subject to changes of alcohol type, may lead to a commrercicil process. INTRODUCTION Within the last 10 years, considerable study has been devoted to the general mechanics of miscible phase dis- placements in porous media. These studies have. in general, dealt with two-component displacernent. All reported field trials to date have been modified gas drives of one type or another. These utilize either lean gas at high pressure, rich gas at lower pressure or an LPG slug. The irreducible water content of the reservoir remains immobile during these processes. Although these techniques hold great promise. certain drawbacks do exist. Poor areal sweep efficiency, inherent in any displacement having a highly unfavorable mobility ratio, is one disadvantage. Furthermore, the miscibility of all processes which use gas is dependent on pressure. These pressure limitations may prohibit application to shallow reservoirs. There are also many areas where large quantities of LPG and natural gas are not readily available. These factors emphasize the need for improved techniques. The alcohol slug process is also a miscible-phase displacement process. It differs from the previously mentioned two-component techniques, however, in that both the reservoir oil and water are displaced by the slug. This behavior is a consequence of the miscibility of certain oil-water-alcohol systems. In the simplest case, a relatively small volume (slug) of an alcohol (such as isopropyl) is injected into the system. Water is then used to drive the slug through the medium. Thus. three components—-alcohol. oil and connate water-—exist at the front side of the slug. Miscibility is obtained at some alcohol concentration, this being dependent on the solubility of the particular system. Miscibility is maintained within the slug until the alcohol concentration falls below that value required to maintain miscibility. When miscibility is lost, the process reverts to a water flood. Certain inherent benefits of this technique are apparent. High pressures are not necessary to obtain miscibility in these liquid systems. Furthermore, water is a more desirable driving agent than gas because of the improved mobility ratio and the attendant improvement in areal sweep efficiency. The main disadvantage is, of course, the relatively high cost of alcohols. The use of an alcohol slug to recover reservoir oil is not a new idea." ' However, this process has received only limited study, presumably due to the lack of industrial interest caused by the seemingly prohibitive cost of alcohols. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanism of the displacement of oil and water by various alcohol slugs and to develop process modifications aimed toward possible commercial application.