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Who's Who in Mineral Engineering - The 1978 Membership Directory of the Society of Mining Engineers of AIME

Jan 7, 1978

By Edward Capillon

THE problem of scrap is probably of greater importance inn the production of gold, silver and other precious metal alloys than is the case for base metals and alloys. Remelting of gold and silver scrap in the shop is always a costly process because it involves losses by oxidation of the base metals in the alloy with a consequent increase in the percentage of precious metal. This is most marked in the case of alloys containing the low-boiling and easily oxidized metals zinc and cadmium. Since it is. not generally feasible to assay every shop remelt it follows that the possibilities of lost values are large. So-called rolled gold and silver plate is made by soldering or welding the precious metal alloys onto base, metal. Such plate when defective must be sent to the refinery to recover the gold and silver values, thereby involving additional expense in the form of refining charges. It is obvious therefore that gold and silver alloy scrap is an important item in manufacturing cost and must be reduced to a minimum. The amount of scrap resulting from poor metal will depend on a number of factors in the manufacturing operations, not least among which is the melting and casting practice. The notes which follow are a summary of experiments performed at various times to determine what variables in melting and casting are influential in the production of sound alloys.

Jan 1, 1930

By G. W. Phelps

The field of industrial minerals is concerned with both sieve size and distribution of sub-sieve particles. A great deal of work has been reported on the techniques designed to provide information of this work. The term sub-sieve is here considered to include particular material that will pass a 325-mesh testing sieve. Plant men require rapid, precise and simple testing techniques that are, if possible, inexpensive with respect to equipment and manpower. A number of particle-size procedures have been developed, based on the Stokes equation for streamline movement of a particle of diam D, moving at velocity V through a liquid of viscosity n. 1 Particles are considered to be rigid, smooth spheres, completely dispersed at low concentration and moving at low velocity through the suspending medium with no slippage between particle and liquid. In particle size determinations the particle moves either from natural gravitational forces or those provided by centrifugal means. The diagram of Fig. 1 shows a spherical particle of density S and diam D moving downward at velocity L/T (or V) through a liquid of density So and viscosity n. The forces of gravity G (natural) or Gc (centrifugal) cause the particle to move through the liquid, thereby creating a viscous drag F or Fc. Within the streamline flow

Jan 1, 1967

By A. B. Parsons

Jan 1, 1971

By M. A. Elliott

The technology of gasifying coal to produce synthesis and pipeline gas has advanced significantly in the Past 20 to 30 years. This period has seen the extensive use of oxygen in coal gasification, the development of suspension gasification processes and fluidized-bed gasifiers, the operation of various gasification processes at elevated pressures, and operation of gasifiers under slagging conditions. These developments are discussed, and their application to commercial and pilot plant gasifiers is reviewed. Typical processes for synthesis gas production are described, and operating results are compared. Pipeline or high-Btu gas may be produced from coal either by catalytic conversion of synthesis gas to methane, or by the direct reaction of coal with hydrogen (hydrogasification) to produce a methane-rich gas. Neither of these methods has been applied commercially, but developments pertaining to each of them are reviewed, and general processing schemes are discussed. The use of coal as a raw material for manufacturing gas has a long and distinguished history. In fact, the gas industry began in the early 1800's when William Murdock demonstrated that it was feasible to produce and distribute gas made by retorting coal. Coal was used exclusively for gas manufacture until the middle of the 19th centruy, when Lowe invented the carbureted water gas process. In that process, coke was one of the raw materials used, so coal was still an important factor in gas manufacture. However the availability and relatively low cost of natural gas in the United States, and its widespread distribution by long-distance pipelines in recent years, has virtually eliminated the use of coal as a raw material for gas manufacture in this country. It should not be inferred from the foregoing that the technology of coal gasification has remained static in the United States and abroad. In fact, in the past two decades many new concepts have been developed in both the science and the technology of gasification. This progress has been a result of the considerable expansion in research on the fundamental chemistry and physics of gasification reactions, and in development work on gasification processes. This expansion in effort stems in part from increased interest in the use of gas as a raw material for the synthesis of chemicals and liquid fuels, and in part from the need to develop methods for gasifying coal and other solid fossil fuels to ensure a long-range supply of energy in the form of gaseous fuel. In these uses of gas, synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide in various proportions, is the starting material. It may be converted catalytically to gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons and other chemicals, or to hydrogen for use in hydrogenation or reduction reactions. Since coal is our most abundant fossil fuel, it is inevitable that one day it will regain its prominence as a raw material for gas manufacture. It is of interest, therefore, to consider the present status of gasification technology, directing attention particularly to advances made in recent years. Inasmuch as many comprehensive treatises l-3 and review4-7 of gasification technology are available, no attempt will be made in the present review to cover all processes in detail. Instead, the discussion will be concerned chiefly with typical processes embodying the advances that are most likely to be generally applied. ADVANCES IN GASIFICATION TECHNOLOGY For purposes of this discussion the starting point will be the conventional processes that were used for many years for the complete gasification of coal. These were: 1) carbonization in coke ovens followed by gasification of coke with air and steam in cyclic water-gas generators, and 2) fixed-bed air-blown producers. Both of these methods have obvious deficiencies when we consider that the ideal complete gasification process would be a single-stage, continuous

Jan 1, 1961

By B. A. Wilcox, A. H. Clauer

DURING the course of an investigation on the high-temperature creep behavior of TD Nickel* (Ni + 2) vol pct ThO2), it was observed that the creep fractures were similar in appearance to low-temperature ductile fibrous fractures and creep ruptures by cavitation. Microfractographs of fibrous ruptures are typically characterized by a dimpled appearance, with second-phase particles frequently found near the bottom of the dimples.'-4 These somewhat resemble creep ruptures by cavitation, in that fracture occurs by void formation, with the subsequent growth and final merging of the voids to form a complete fracture.' It is the purpose of this communication to describe the creep fracture of TD nickel and suggest a mechanism for the rupturing process. The discussion is relevant to material crept to fracture in vacuo at a constant stress of 18,000 psi, over the temperature range 900" to ll00°C. The material used in this investigation was 1/2-in.-diam bar stock supplied by Du Pont, contain- ing 2.3 vol pct Tho2. The final fabrication treatment consisted of -95 pct reduction by swaging followed by a 1-hr anneal at 1000°C. Transmission and replica electron microscopy revealed that the material had a fibered structure with a transverse grain size of -1 µ and a longitudinal grain size of 10 to 15 µ. Selected-area diffraction indicated that the fiber axis was parallel to (00l), in agreement with the results of Inman et a1.6 The thoria particle size varied from 80 to 1000Å, with an average size of 400Å, and the mean particle spacing was about 1200Å. The remarkable structural stability7 was confirmed by annealing for 6 hr at 1300°C (about ' 0.9 the absolute melting point). Transmission electron microscopy revealed that the only structural change was a slight decrease in dislocation density. Furthermore, recrystallization or grain growth during creep has not been observed. All specimens were annealed in vacuo at 1300°C for 3 hr prior to creep testing. The following times to rupture were obtained for vacuum creep tests at a constant stress of 18,000 psi: 900°C, 854 hr; 930°C,

Jan 1, 1965

By J. E. Forciea, O. E. Palasvirta, L. G. Hendrickson

AH pilot and commercial plants working with Mesabi Range taconite employ wet magnetic separation. Progress is being made with a dry magnetic process, but this has not yet been applied to taconite except in the laboratory and pilot plants. Flowsheets in all five plants are similar, including multiple stages of grinding, each followed by magnetic separation, which rejects a finished tailing. The flowsheet in Fig. 1 is used in the preliminary and commercial plants of the Erie and Reserve mining companies and in Unit C of Oliver's Pilotac plant. At Erie the desliming operation is omitted. In the Reserve plants two ball mills are used with each rod mill. Pilotac uses flowsheet 2 in Unit A-B and has also tested flowsheet 3. Principal differences in the three flowsheets are the number of grinding stages and the type of roughing. The terms open-circuit roughing and closed-circuit roughing are best defined by the diagrams. Special Test Data Given in Table I: For the Erie and Reserve commercial plants, Table I reflects routine conditions. Pilotac, the experimental plant, has been run with several flowsheets, including those followed at Erie and Reserve's commercial operations. Pilotac data for these last two flowsheets are similar to commercial plant results and are not repeated in Table I; statistics are given, however, for special test conditions. using other flowsheets. when the objective was to 'to extra-grade concentrate, Variations Among Taconites: Although crude ore tributary to these plants is generally classified as taconite, there are important differences in mineralogy and fineness of dissemination.

Jan 1, 1959

By David R. Mitchell, Ernest M. Spokes

There is evidence that study of minerals now considered to have susceptibilities too low for magnetic separation should be continued. Present concepts may be false. INFORMATION on magnetic properties of minerals other than magnetite is scanty and sometimes erroneous. Often there is no information at all. W. R. Crane's table of tractive forces published in 1901 is still the best guide in the field, but Crane's data can be used as a guide only, since he ignored such important factors as impurities in the minerals, size, and packing effect. During the 1930's work by the U. S. Bureau of Mines added greatly to knowledge of the behavior of certain minerals in a magnetic field. The USBM bulletin gave for the first time complete magnetic characteristics for magnetite and fragmentary data for a few other minerals. The work reported here covers a study of the magnetic-susceptibility relationships of the wolframite series of minerals and sphalerites as related to their chemical compositions. Theories are proposed to explain divergences found from commonly accepted beliefs. Gouy Method for Determining Magnetic Susceptibility: The Gouy principle has been adequately described in the literature1-3 and applied in various ways.'- It may be summarized by stating that a body of material (gas, liquid, solid, or powder mixed with gas or liquid) of cylindrical shape changes in apparent weight if suspended with one end in a zone of higher magnetic field strength than is found in that portion of the field surrounding the other end of the cylinder. This may be expressed as K2 - K1 A (H2 - H2) - mg. [1] In determining the susceptibility of mineral specimens by the Gouy method, the mineral is reduced to a fine powder and packed in a glass weighing tube. Precise measurement of the bore and depth of the tube is made unnecessary by a calibration procedure. Using the basic expression of Eq. 1, Hoare"

Jan 1, 1959

By W. A. Wood, H. M. Bendler

Cylindrical fatigue specimens of OFHC* copper were subjected to alternating torsion while under axial tension. The superimposed tension strongly influenced the fatigue life of the specimens as well as causing characteristic changes in the structure of the fissures that form and develop throughout the life of the specimen. A further effect of the superimposed tension is a continuous extension of the specimen throughout its life in a manner formally similar to creep at elevated temperatures. RECENTLY, studies of the structural changes leading to fracture of metals by fatigue have been made by a technique which reveals, in section, the lattice distortion arising from slip movements inside the metal and the disturbances built up by these slip movements at the metal surface.1'2 According to this approach, fatigue develops as follows: a) fine slip movements concentrate in bands, producing little strain-hardening and thus permitting abnormal totals of plastic strain before fracture and, therefore, abnormal amounts of lattice distortion along each slip band; b) both forward and backward slip movements occur in each band which, according to their distribution across the band, may build up surface disturbances that include sharp notches; c) these notches early in the life of a specimen penetrate the distorted slip zones and transform them into deep, fine fissures; d) the fissures on continued cycling locally saturate the metal and cause local collapse in the form of a microcrack. Thus, the significant consequence of fatigue or cyclic

Jan 1, 1962

By F. Petkovich, M. P. Sudbury

Development of a new method of treating flotation concentrates for the preparation of feed suitable for direct charging to blast furnaces or converters is described. The method takes advantage of the fact that pyrrhotite contained in the concentrates can be made to undergo exothermic reactions which, under properly controlled conditions, result information of oxidation products that serve to cement the concentrate particles together. Thus green concentrates either in the form of pellets or briquettes containing 5 to 8 pct moisture not only were hardened, but also completely dried autogenously by continuous countercu,vrent shaft treatment with air. The process was developed through pilot plant operations ranging from 35 1b per hr to 2.5 tph, culminating in products evaluation tests on a railway-car scale. Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd., Falconbridge, Ont., have practised sintering, on a travelling grate machine, for many years to prepare a pyr-rhotite-bearing Cu-Ni sulfide flotation concentrate for blast furnace smelting. In recent years the development of new mines, and the construction of concentration plants some 40 miles from the smelter has increased the quantity of concentrate shipped, and encouraged the search for a method of producing dry, hard pellets or briquettes suitable for direct charging to a blast furnace or converter, and capable of withstanding considerable handling. The cementing properties of pyrrhotite oxidation products were discovered during a search for a suitable agglomeration method for sulfide concentrates, and were exploited in a process subsequently developed for autogenously drying and hardening pellets and briquettes of pyrrhotite-bearing Cu-Ni sulfide flotation concentrate. EARLY TEST WORK The production of hard, dry pellets of concentrate filter cake was attempted in the drying plant of one of the new concentrators. While soft pellets were produced containing 5 pct moisture, attempts at further drying resulted in disintegration of the pellets and intolerable dusting. The plant therefore was controlled to produce a concentrate containing about 6 pct moisture. The partially dried concentrate, which was shipped to Falconbridge for sintering, tended to heat spontaneously in transit. An at- tempt to briquette the moist concentrate at Falconbridge, in a plant incorporating a muller, a 20-in. roll briquetting press, and a steam-heated travelling grate oven, was more successful, although the equipment corroded rapidly due to the acid nature of the concentrate after spontaneous heating had occurred. LABORATORY STUDIES OF SPONTANEOUS HEATING OF CONCENTRATE The spontaneous heating of partially dried concentrate was studied in the laboratory. Moist concen-

Jan 1, 1961

By G. E. Perry, R. D. Seba

The steam soak process is the most widely applied and most successful thermal supplemental recovery process in use today. This process, which consists of injection of steam in various quantities into a well that is subsequently used as a producer, can be repeatedly applied to the same well. The treatment, if successful, will increase the production rate of the well for a given period. For this reason, the steam soak process should be considered primarily as an acceleration method rather than as a method for producing oil that could not be recovered by primary means. However, application of this process to reservoirs containing viscous crude may produce oil that otherwise would have zero present value or would be produced at such low rates by primary methods that it would not be profitable. A major necessity for the successful application of the steam soak process is a source of natural energy. This source of energy may exist in one or more of the following forms: expansion of fluids, compaction, gravity drainage. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of gravity drainage on steam soak production and recovery and to develop a method for predicting production rates, ultimate recovery, and heat requirements when applying this process to a reservoir in which the primary driving mechanism is gravity drainage. (For additional discussion of some of the factors that affect recovery of viscous oils by the steam soak process, see Ref. 5.) Model The model developed for analyzing the performance of the steam soak process in gravity drainage reservoirs is a modified form of that developed by Matthews and Lefkovits.1,2 The model used in this study consists of two concentric cylindrical volumes of productive formation with cap and base rock of impermeable material. The inner cylinder, extending from the radius of the wellbore to some predetermined radius, is referred to as the hot zone; and the outer cylinder extending from the exterior boundary of the hot zone to the outer drainage boundary will be referred to as the partially heated zone. Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-section of the model, indicating its thermal properties. Horizontally the reservoir is divided into two regions, the upper region having a high gas saturation and residual liquid saturation, and the lower region containing a high liquid saturation. The boundary between these two regions is referred to as the free surface, which drops and changes shape as fluid is produced from the reservoir. The model was used to analyze the steam soak process by applying the following assumptions: 1. The horizontal formation is composed of one or more homogeneous noninterconnected layers containing incompressible fluids. Each layer is treated separately. 2. The hot zone is heated by the initial soak and is maintained at the steam temperature corresponding to atmospheric pressure by resoaking. 3. The height of the free surface at the producing well is at all times zero (producing well is pumped off). 4. The position of the free surface at the start of

Jan 1, 1970

By L. R. Raymond

With the trend toward deeper and consequently hotter holes, measurements of drilling mud properties at atmospheric temperatures are becoming increasingly inadequate.' Both the prediction and control of down-hole mud properties depend in part upon our knowledge of temperatures in the wellbore. Consequently, a better understanding of factors that affect temperatures during circulation and trips could improve drilling operations. It was toward the goal of obtaining this understanding that this study was directed. Other investigators2 have studied the response of fluid temperature in the borehole during trips. However, all of these studies have used an assumed formation temperature profile at the conclusion of circulation and have provided no means to calculate this profile directly. In this study, the formation profile during circulation was calculated. Other investiga-tors3-5 have also studied bottom-hole temperature during circulation. However, they have developed neither general techniques for calculating the entire temperature profile in the system nor generalized methods for predicting bottom-hole fluid temperatures during circulation. Such techniques and methods have been developed and are discussed briefly in the following pages. Temperature Behavior During Circulation Circulation of fluid during the drilling operation is represented schematically in Fig. 1. The process of circulation has three distinct phases: (1) fluid enters the drill pipe at the surface and passes down the drill pipe; (2) fluid exits the drill pipe through the bit and enters the annulus at the bottom; and (3) fluid passes up the annulus and exits the annulus at the surface. To simulate the thermal behavior of the fluid in the system, each of the phases of circulation must be described mathematically. In Phase 1, the fluid enters the drill pipe at a specified temperature, TDo. As the fluid passes down the pipe, its temperature is determined by the rate of heat convection down the drill pipe, the rate of heat exchange between the drill pipe and the annulus, and time. Phase 2 of the circulating process merely requires that the fluid temperature at the exit of the drill pipe be the same as the fluid temperature at the entrance of the annulus; i.e., TD(L,t) = TA(L,l). Thus in Phase 3, the fluid enters the annulus at TD(L, t). As the fluid flows up the annulus, its temperature is determined by the rate of heat convection up the annulus, the rate of heat exchange between the annulus and the drill pipe, the rate of heat exchange between the formation adjacent to the annulus and the fluid in the annulus, and time. These rates of heat exchange and the time dependency of mud temperature are described by well known heat-flow equation.6 Consequently, as shown in the Appendix, the temperature profiles in the drill pipe, annulus, and formation can be obtained by solving Eqs. 1 through

Jan 1, 1970

By HOWARD RICHARDS

THE dollar was, selected as the unit of currency by the Congress of the United States of America on Apr. 2, 1792. This "Dollar" currency is so much more convenient than the older British currency that the Canadian Government, among others, has adopted it with corresponding success. Just as the dollar is the unit of United States currency, so the meter is the international unit for measuring length. The various weights and measures used in - the United States have since Apr. 5,. 1893, been based on the metric standards. These fundamental standards are kept by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, which is supported by the United States, Great Britain and the, other leading countries. of the world. Copies are held-in Washington and other capitals. (2) As the dollar is divided into 100 cents, so the meter, which is 10 per cent. longer than the yard, is divided into 100 centimeters or cm. And as the cent is divided into 10 mills, so the centimeter is divided into 10 millimeters or mm. In measuring clothing and other articles which do not require great accuracy, the centimeter is most con¬venient, so that such work is done in terms of centi¬meters.. Instead of speaking of a 15;2-in. collar, a 40-centimeter or 40-cm. collar is referred to. Where accuracy is needed, as in mechanical drawing, machineshop work, etc., millimeters are employed. Thus 8 mm., is the convenient equivalent for 5/16 inch.

Jan 1, 1921

By E. A. Swedenborg

The unit agreement for the Wertz Dome field, Wyoming, was approved by the Acting Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior on November 4, 1937, effective on December 1, 1937. The stated objectives of the agreement are to conserve and put to beneficial use all oil and gas produced; to make possible a uniform withdrawal of oil and gas in order to maintain equalized reservoir pressures; to provide for an orderly determination of the structural features of the productive horizons; and to permit the injection of gas for pressure maintenance. The purpose of this paper is to show by a discussion of the problems involved and the engineering practices employed by the unit operator, how well the objectives of the unit agreement have been accomplished in the development and production of oil and gas from the field. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT The Wertz Dome oil and gas field is located 88 miles southwest of Casper and 38 miles north and westerly from Rawlins, Wyoming. It is served by a state secondary oiled road connecting with U. S. Highway No. 220 at Lamont, a distance of 3 miles from the field. It has been a producing field for 27 years, first as an important producer of gas and more recently of oil. The Producers and Refiners Corp. completed Well No. 1, NE1/4SW1/4 sec. 7, T. 26 N., R. 89 W., the first productive well in the field, in September. 1921, in the Muddy sandstone of Upper Cretaceous age, at a depth of 3435 feet for an initial production of 42,000,000 cu. ft. of gas per day. In 1922 pipe lines were laid to Casper, Wyoming, for supplying fuel to the Standard of Indiana refinery, 'the adjoining town of Mills. and the Producers and Refiners Corp. pump station No. 6 in Mills; and to Parco (now Sinclair), Wyoming, for supplying that refinery with fuel. The gasoline content of the gas was extracted in an absorption plant located near the town of Mills. No compressors were used as the line pressure was sufficiently high to flow the gas through the absorbers. As high as 30,000,000 cu. ft. of gas per day were treated in the plant extracting 6000 gallons of gasoline. In September 1937, the pipe line was discontinued and the plant was dismantled at which time 61,000,000,000 cu. ft. of gas had been produced from the seven Muddy, Cloverly, and Sundance gas wells drilled in the field. Of this volume of gas 800,000,000 cu. ft. were produced from the Frontier formation, 34,200,000,000 cu. ft. from the Muddy sandstone, 24,000,000,000 cu. ft. from the Cloverly, locally called Dakota, and 2,000,000,000 cu. ft. from the Sundance formation. The pipe line was discontinued because of the near depletion of the gas reserves in Wertz and nearby fields, and hecause of the local field requirements demanding the retention of the remaining gas reserves. In December 1936, the Sinclair Wyoming Oil Co. completed Well No. 10, SE1/4NW1/4 sec. 7. T. 26 N., R. 89 W., at a depth of 5886 feet. as the first Tensleep sand producer with an intial of 1700 barrels of oil per day. The well was originally drilled only 14 feet into the sand and in August 1939 was deepened to a depth of 6161 feet, 289 feet in the sand, and the daily produe tion increased to 8350 barrels of oil. In February 1948 Well No. 22, SE1/4 SE1/4 sec. 1. T. 26 N., R. 90 W., was deepened from the Tensleep to the Basal Amsden sand and completed at a depth of 6635 feet for an intial of 600 barrels of oil per day in the Basal Amsden. In April 1948, Well No. 2. SW1/4 NE1/4 sec. 1, T. 26 N., R. 90 W.. was deepened from the Tensleep to the Madison limestone and was completed at a depth of 7193 feet for an intial of 1145 barrels of oil per day in the Madison. Well No. 26, SE1/4SE1/4 sec. 1, T. 26 N.. R. 90 W., was deepened from the Ten-sleep to the Cambrian and in October 1948 it was completed in the Cambrian for an intial of 277 barrels of oil per day. GEOLOGY AND PRODUCTIVE ACREAGE The surface is Steele shale of Upper Cretaceous age, covered in part by gravel beds. The topography of the field is that of a rolling hill with a steep draw or gulch along the northern edge of the field. The Steele shale lies conformably on the lower formations as

Jan 1, 1949

By E. A. Swedenborg

The unit agreement for the Wertz Dome field, Wyoming, was approved by the Acting Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior on November 4, 1937, effective on December 1, 1937. The stated objectives of the agreement are to conserve and put to beneficial use all oil and gas produced; to make possible a uniform withdrawal of oil and gas in order to maintain equalized reservoir pressures; to provide for an orderly determination of the structural features of the productive horizons; and to permit the injection of gas for pressure maintenance. The purpose of this paper is to show by a discussion of the problems involved and the engineering practices employed by the unit operator, how well the objectives of the unit agreement have been accomplished in the development and production of oil and gas from the field. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT The Wertz Dome oil and gas field is located 88 miles southwest of Casper and 38 miles north and westerly from Rawlins, Wyoming. It is served by a state secondary oiled road connecting with U. S. Highway No. 220 at Lamont, a distance of 3 miles from the field. It has been a producing field for 27 years, first as an important producer of gas and more recently of oil. The Producers and Refiners Corp. completed Well No. 1, NE1/4SW1/4 sec. 7, T. 26 N., R. 89 W., the first productive well in the field, in September. 1921, in the Muddy sandstone of Upper Cretaceous age, at a depth of 3435 feet for an initial production of 42,000,000 cu. ft. of gas per day. In 1922 pipe lines were laid to Casper, Wyoming, for supplying fuel to the Standard of Indiana refinery, 'the adjoining town of Mills. and the Producers and Refiners Corp. pump station No. 6 in Mills; and to Parco (now Sinclair), Wyoming, for supplying that refinery with fuel. The gasoline content of the gas was extracted in an absorption plant located near the town of Mills. No compressors were used as the line pressure was sufficiently high to flow the gas through the absorbers. As high as 30,000,000 cu. ft. of gas per day were treated in the plant extracting 6000 gallons of gasoline. In September 1937, the pipe line was discontinued and the plant was dismantled at which time 61,000,000,000 cu. ft. of gas had been produced from the seven Muddy, Cloverly, and Sundance gas wells drilled in the field. Of this volume of gas 800,000,000 cu. ft. were produced from the Frontier formation, 34,200,000,000 cu. ft. from the Muddy sandstone, 24,000,000,000 cu. ft. from the Cloverly, locally called Dakota, and 2,000,000,000 cu. ft. from the Sundance formation. The pipe line was discontinued because of the near depletion of the gas reserves in Wertz and nearby fields, and hecause of the local field requirements demanding the retention of the remaining gas reserves. In December 1936, the Sinclair Wyoming Oil Co. completed Well No. 10, SE1/4NW1/4 sec. 7. T. 26 N., R. 89 W., at a depth of 5886 feet. as the first Tensleep sand producer with an intial of 1700 barrels of oil per day. The well was originally drilled only 14 feet into the sand and in August 1939 was deepened to a depth of 6161 feet, 289 feet in the sand, and the daily produe tion increased to 8350 barrels of oil. In February 1948 Well No. 22, SE1/4 SE1/4 sec. 1. T. 26 N., R. 90 W., was deepened from the Tensleep to the Basal Amsden sand and completed at a depth of 6635 feet for an intial of 600 barrels of oil per day in the Basal Amsden. In April 1948, Well No. 2. SW1/4 NE1/4 sec. 1, T. 26 N., R. 90 W.. was deepened from the Tensleep to the Madison limestone and was completed at a depth of 7193 feet for an intial of 1145 barrels of oil per day in the Madison. Well No. 26, SE1/4SE1/4 sec. 1, T. 26 N.. R. 90 W., was deepened from the Ten-sleep to the Cambrian and in October 1948 it was completed in the Cambrian for an intial of 277 barrels of oil per day. GEOLOGY AND PRODUCTIVE ACREAGE The surface is Steele shale of Upper Cretaceous age, covered in part by gravel beds. The topography of the field is that of a rolling hill with a steep draw or gulch along the northern edge of the field. The Steele shale lies conformably on the lower formations as

Jan 1, 1949

By Charles Will Wright

The present struggle for economic and industrial supremacy by the Communist world is against the United States, its main target, and the other Free World nations. The basis of industrial power is minerals, so the Communist nations are building up mineral production within their borders, often regardless of costs, and are acquiring quantities of mineral products from Free World countries for future use. They are contracting for additional supplies and advancing funds for the development of these quantities. A number of the less developed mineral producing countries of the Free World are being infiltrated by Communists and Communistic influence. This situation is well known, but as yet little has been done to oppose these activities or to awaken the public to their seriousness. The Communist countries are still far behind the Free World Nations in production of many essential minerals. But, shortages are being made up from Free World nations in exchange for petroleum, manganese ore, chromite and other products. Restrictions on shipments of strategic materials to Communist countries have not been maintained.

Jan 1, 1964

By J. L. Gregg, J. L.

RECENTLY there has been considerable interest in the production and use of extra hard alloys composed primarily of tungsten and carbon. Dr. Hoyt's recent paper1 gives a good description of these alloys and describes their performance when used as tools. There are a number of these alloys on the market sold under various trade names, and it is the purpose of this paper to describe the results of an investigation of the structure of five of these alloys by means of microscopic and X-ray methods. The samples studied were in the form of small tools or wire-drawing dies, which were either purchased or supplied as samples. They were in some cases not supplied by the original makers but were furnished by the agents in this country, and we wish to call attention to the fact that they may not be truly representative of the materials supplied under the various trade names. No performance data are given and no inference as to the inferiority of one alloy as against any other is made. K. Schröter2 recently described methods for polishing alloys of this type for microscopic examination and has presented photomicrographs of several alloys. However, he did not identify their constituents or describe methods for their identification.

Jan 1, 1929

By K. E. Brown, J. P. Brill, A. R. Hagedorn, T. C. Doerr

A recent correlation for multiphase vertical flow by Hagedorn and Brown1,7 has been used to examine the effect of numerous variables such as pipe size, gas-liquid ratio, liquid flow rate, liquid viscosity, liquid surface tension, oil API gravity, water cut, etc., on flowing pressure gradients. Most previous correlations were derived by using a form of the general energy equation which assumed negligible changes in kinetic energy. Under certain flow conditions this can lead to serious errors in predicting pressure traverses. Examples of traverses calculated both with and without the kinetic energy term are included here. The Chew and Connully correlation for calculating changes in viscosity with changing pressure and temperature has been extended so that the effect of a changing viscosity with depth on pressure gradients can also be predicted. Examples illustrating the effect of tubing size show the importance of this correlation in determining pipe sizes for initial well completions. Limitations on production rates in small pipe sizes from excessive friction losses can be predicted with greater accuracy. The combined use of a vertical-flow correlation with a horizontal-flow correlation provides a method for determining the maximum flow rate possible from both flowing and gas-lift wells. Examples are included to illustrate application of the combined use of vertical and horizontal-flow correlations in optimizing production rates and minimizing excessive costs from over injection of gas in gas-lift wells. INTRODUCTION The problems of multiphase vertical and horizontal flow are immediately encountered in any producing well. Fig. 1' shows three stages of production: flow in porous medium, vertical flow and horizontal flow. All three stages affect the production rate from a well. If we are confronted with a particular well and consider only the variables involved in the vertical and horizontal stages of Fig. 1, we should be capable of calculating the flowing bottom-hole pressure necessary to produce a particular flow rate. A change in any of the variables results in a new solution to the problem. Recent approaches in developing horizontal and vertical-flow correlations have improved to the extent that the solution can now be obtained with more confidence than previously. VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL FLOW CORRELATIONS Since Poettmann and Carpenter's' original work in multiphase vertical flow, there have been many additional vertical-flow correlations developed which have greatly improved the accuracy of pressure-loss calculations. These

Jan 1, 1967

By W. J. Kroll

Jan 1, 1960

Organization Place Date 1919 National Drainage Congress St. Louis, Mo. Nov. 11-13 American Mining Congress St. Louis, Mo. Nov. 1.7-21 Canadian Mining Institute Vancouver, B. C. Nov.. 26-28 American Society of Mechanical Engineers:.... New York, N. Y. Dec. 2-5 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Savannah, Ga. Dec. 3-6 Geological Society of America...; Boston, Mass. Dec. 29-31. American Society of Heating and Ventilating 1920 Engineers New York, N. Y. Jan. Mining and Metallurgical Society of America ... New York, N. Y. Jan. 13. American Institute of Min. and Met. Engineers... New York, N. Y. Feb. 16-19 American Ceramic Society Philadelphia, Pa. Feb. 23-26

Jan 11, 1919