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By C. V. Millikan

THE year 1930 in the petroleum industry has been characterized by the establishment of large potential production of crude oil. This has resulted in closer cooperation between companies by proration and unit operation agreements in order to afford an equitable outlet to all, and to prevent a flood of oil being forced on the market with attendant tremendous material and economic waste. Drilling wells in proved areas and wildcat wells are fewer than in the past several years. Restricted production and low prices have caused greater effort to increase producing and recovery efficiencies. Increased refinery efficiencies have amplified the effect of overproduction. Pipe line departments have been especially busy. New oil lines have reached more refineries by new and shorter routes. Establishing greater gas reserves by new fields has justified new gas lines to industrial centers, and has brought this fuel to thousands of new domestic consumers. Two long gasoline lines, a new venture in pipe lines, are being built to obtain a lower cost of transportation and less loss between the refineries and their distribution centers. The chairmen of the various divisions have discussed the developments of their respective branches more fully in the following reviews.

Jan 1, 1931

By W. T. Jr. Thom

IN PREVIOUS classifications of coal, it has been customary to regard moisture eliminated from coal samples between 20° and 100° C. as extraneous matter, rather than as a constituent part of the coal. It seems, however, that the physical character and use properties of the low-rank coals are directly related to the amount of such moisture present, and recent chemical work has shown1 that such coals contain unstable groupings which decompose between 20° C. and temperatures somewhat above 100° C., with the splitting off of moisture. According to this view, the moisture eliminated from air-dried coal below boiling point is similar in all essential respects to moisture eliminated above 100° C., and is produced by analogous reactions; and inasmuch as the moisture given off above 100° C. has always been treated as a constituent of the volatile matter of coal, it would seem that consistent usage would include as a part of the volatile matter all moisture present as an essential component of the coal as it occurs in nature. As a matter of experience, it seems clear that the general physical and chemical characteristics of the low-rank coals are largely determined by or related to the moisture, whether chemically or physically combined, present in air-dried coal; it is also demonstrable by trial that the low-rank coals cannot be satisfactorily classified on a purely chemical basis by using the moisture free form of analysis. The low-rank coals of the western United States include numerous well-defined types, many of which were referred to in a classification proposed by Ashley,2 in which the physical and use properties of the coals were made the primary basis for their systematic grouping. When testing this classification by replotting analyses of these type coals according to the Seyler scheme of classification,3 a satisfactory parallelism between use properties and chemical constitution of the dry coal was found among

Jan 5, 1925

By A. W. Ambrose

The present plans for the Petroleum Division of the American Insti-tute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers provide for two principal meetings in the year 1928. The first will be at Tulsa, Okla., in September or October, 1928, with the exact date largely dependent upon the date of the .International Petroleum Exposition. The officers wish to hold the meeting at the same time as the Exposition in order that members of the Petroleum Division of the A. I. M. E. may have the advantage of attending both meetings at the same time. It is planned that this meeting will be devoted largely to petroleum production engineering problems. A tentative outline of subjects to be discussed is as follows: 1. Repressuring New Oil Fields, and naturally in conjunction with this falls Repressuring of Old Fields. 2. Air or Gas Lift. 3. Flow Strings in New Wells. 4. Deep Drilling Technique. It is also planned to have at this meeting a general paper relating to Supply and Demand of Petroleum and its Products. The second meeting is planned for February, 1929, in New York at the same time as the annual meeting of the Institute. Special details have not been carried very far on this meeting, although it is expected the program will cover technical problems in relation to production and refining of crude oil, as well as 1928 development in foreign fields and the United States. It is planned during 1928 to cooperate with the Bureau of Mines in an attempt to compile a set of definitions on petroleum engineering. These would be of value to the petroleum engineering profession, in order to better standardize various terms used in discussion of current problems. It has also been suggested that the Petroleum Division study certain problems in which research work is needed by the petroleum industry and outline certain definite programs that could be carried out by the Bureau of Mines and the U. S. Geological Survey, as a follow-up to

Jan 1, 1928

By Glenn Alvey

THE measure of value of an oil property is approximated by the length of time it takes to "pay out;" viz., the time required for it to return the original investment. This time varies in different fields. In the Appalachian and Mid-Continent fields, a good investment pays out in about four years; in California, it requires a slightly longer time; and in the Gulf field about two years. The two principal methods for establishing these values are based on acreage, as in California, and on production, as in the Appalachian field. The method of establishing values based on production1 was worked out in the Appalachian fields and approximates the value remarkably well in some fields; but it is a rule of thumb and should be used intelligently. Briefly, the method is as follows: An arbitrary number of dollars (called the barrel-day price) multiplied by the number of barrels of settled daily production of the property gives the value.. In its crudest application, the barrel-day price is determined by the "$10 to $.01" rule, which means that the barrel-day price is one thousand times the prevailing price of oil. For instance, with oil at $3.50 per bbl. the barrel-day price would be $3500 per bbl. This rule, however, is not strictly applied, for the, barrel price is varied according to whether or not the wells "hold up." But when a barrel price for a district has been fixed it is quite general to raise or lower the price with the fluctuation in the price of oil; here the" $10 to $.01" rule is used extensively. However, the prospective purchaser takes into account tangible equipment upon the property, the extent to which the drilling program has been carried out, whether or not the wells are "shot" or natural, depth of wells, spacing of wells, paraffin trouble, etc.

Jan 1, 1921

By Eugene Grace

IN THE careers of the men to whom I have referred we find typified the development of the chief prob-lems of engineering. The first is to shape and direct the forces of nature and thus to bring the world's resources to add to the comfort and welfare of man-kind. That, in a word, is the problem of production. Engineers have made a supreme contribution to the solution of that problem. But I feel that we have two somewhat newer branches of engineering which must command more and more of our attention. Those are what might be termed commercial and human engineering. Of what value is all our efficiency in pro-duction if we do not distribute efficiently, economically and effectively? And of what value is any of it unless we can add to the happiness and deeper satisfaction of those engaged in industry, as well as those who enjoy its -products? I predict that the outstanding advances in business over the next ten years will be in improved merchan-dising and distributing methods. Herein lies a wide field of opportunity for the engineer. We have briefly reviewed certain qualities of engi-neers who have become successful business executives. Is it possible for us to say that the material success of all these men was due to any one characteristic com-mon to each one of them? Indeed, I venture to assert that there is one quality which, in the last analysis, is determining as to whether any roan shall realize material success in this world of ours. That quality-so notable in the character of each one of the men I have named-is sound judgment. Moments arise in every life when it is necessary to say "yes" or to say "no" to a particular proposition or to a proposed line of action. It is the man who says "yes" at the proper time and "no" at the proper time who, in the final analysis, realizes business success. The ability to do this wisely is the mark of sound judg-ment, which is necessary in a business executive. I have known many business men seemingly slow in their mental processes, possessed apparently, of little imagination and of none of the flair which gives fasci-nation to so many characters, and yet who, when crises come-be they big or be they little-are able so to steer their business courses that they move in the right direction instead of into shallow waters or upon the rocks of trouble.

Jan 4, 1928

By Walter W. Bradley, OLAF P. JENKINS

IN April of this year the California State Division of Mines (formerly known as the State Mining Bureau) observed its 50th anniversary. The Division serves as a bureau of information and, an encyclopaedia of California's economic minerals. Its primary function is to make economic surveys of the mineral resources of California, their development and utilization. Geological studies also constitute a related part of the work as being necessary in tracing and out- lining ore deposits and the most likely areas in which to find them. The results of the Bureau's data-gathering are published in the form of annual reports of the State Mineralogist, and in bulletins on specific substances. The Division is just completing a series of reports on the mineral resources of the State arranged by counties.. It is now starting .a new series of reports arranged according to substances particularly the so-called non- metallic commercial groups. Of these the following are now available: clays, barite, and mineral paint. These will be followed by reports on feldspar and silica, diatomaceous earth, limestone and others

Jan 1, 1930

By E. W. Newman

DURING 1943 and 1944, there was an urgent need for certain grades of optical calcite (Iceland spar) for instruments for military uses. To find a supply of this material, prospecting was carried out in Montana, California and Colorado. Although some production was obtained by the work in California, the best results were from prospecting the large calcite veins of south central Montana. The bulk of the optical calcite mined during World War II has come from that area. The Bureau of Mines took an active part in the search for optical calcite in Montana. It examined most of the known calcite veins in the 70-mile distance between Wilsall, on the Shields River, and Absarokee, on the Stillwater River, and conducted exploration on several of the deposits. The Geological Survey also took an active part by mapping many of the veins. Actual mining of the calcite was performed at first by Calcite Operators, Inc., and later by the Metals Reserve Co., through an agent. A sorting plant was established at Clyde Park, where custom material could be sold. These activities stimulated mining by private operators. To be suitable for military uses, the calcite mined had to meet rigid specifications as to both size and quality. Individual crystals had to be clear and transparent and if in the form of rhombs had to measure at least 7/8 in. on each edge. Some color and a few inclusions in the calcite were allowable, but material with incipient or developed cleavages, or showing twinning other than parallel to the base, was unacceptable. HISTORY OF DEPOSITS The existence of large veins of calcite in south central Montana has long been known, and for many years the farmers of this region have used the common vein calcite for producing grit for chicken feed. According to reports, the first optical calcite produced from Montana came from the Cartwright deposit near Greycliff,1 but until recently the mining of optical calcite in Montana has been limited to spasmodic searching for small crystals suitable for making nicol prisms for saccharimeters and microscopes, or for mineral specimens. The possible need of substantial amounts of optical calcite for military uses began to appear late in 1942 and early in 1943, therefore the Polaroid company began searching for a source of supply in Montana and California. Work on the Wade property near Clyde Park was started on a small scale in the fall of 1942, by A. H. Hansen, of Clyde Park. During the winter and spring of 1943, a modest quantity of optical calcite was mined and shipped to the Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Mass. Most of this was produced from the "Hansen vug," which was found close to the surface. Early in the summer of 1943, mining on the Wade property was undertaken by Calcite Operators, Inc., a company organized for mining optical calcite from the Montana and California deposits. This com-

Jan 1, 1945

By E. L. Jr. Spain

This study was undertaken primarily to determine the reasons for certain varia-tions in the soundness of gravel aggregate taken from a number of widely separated points on the Tennessee River. Under laboratory tests, concrete made with these various aggregates it some cases exhibited marked differences in specific gravity, crushing strength and durability. Gravel was studied in detail from Chattanooga to the mouth of the river and to a lesser extent from Chattanooga to Knoxville. The causes of variation were determined, and variational curves were constructed, which accurately predict the composition of aggregate at any point on the river and therefore its relative suitability for use in concrete. The aggregate at any point is suited for making sound concrete; the variance of suitability is due to varying percentages of sandstone and weathered material, which are less sound than other constituents.

Jan 1, 1937

By W. F. Wheeler

A discussion of the paper of W. F. Wheeler, presented at the Toronto Meeting, July, 1907 (Trans., xxxviii., 621 to 632). A. BEMENT, Chicago, Ill. (communication to the Secretary*):¬Formerly it was the general practice of engineers to designate coal that is free from moisture and ash as " combustible,", not-withstanding that it contains oxygen and nitrogen. The origin of this practice was more particularly due to the requirements in connection with boiler-testing, which demanded a consideration of that portion of the fuel which took part in the combustion-process because results based on a unit of either moist or dry coal were not comparable, since both moisture and ash were recognized as variable quantities. Thus, a pound of " combustible " became a standard of value, and was treated as a constant before employing measurements of heating-power and calculating therefrom the percentage of efficiency. The recognition of this term ." combustible" was an advance to be credited to the engineer .rather than to the chemist, because the latter, not having to do with the interpretation of analysis in practice outside the laboratory, usually saw no reason for reporting results in terms other than those of the moist-coal composition. Some years ago I needed a table of fuel-composition in terms of moist, dry, moisture-free and ash-free coal, and of the combustible components. This table required the use of the word combustible in its proper sense, for the purpose of designating carbon, hydrogen, and sulphur, instead of including these three elements with oxygen and nitrogen, to which aggregate the term combustible was formerly applied. To make such a tabulation involved either the use of the inconvenient and cumbersome term, "ash and moisture-free coal," or of some other representative term, and for this purpose I adopted the expression " pure coal," which is short, simple, convenient, and technically correct. It is also harmonious, because it agrees

Sep 1, 1908

BENEFICIATION AND CONCEN'TRATION; FROTH FLOTATION U.S. 4,069,144 - In the froth flotation beneficiation of phosphate rock using at least an acid flotation step and an amine flotation step, the crude ore is dried either during transport or storage or by air circulation immediately prior to classification, and the dried ore mixed with water and classified prior to flotation The preliminary drying substantially eliminates the usual problems with clay slimes G. C. Johnson and A. E. Schweizer, assigned to Mobil Oil Corp. Jan 17. 1978. 4 pp (209- 11) . Filed 1 1-19-75 (633,535).

Jan 1, 1979

ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEENTH MEETING OF THE INSTITUTE, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, TO THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, INCLUSIVE, 1917 Committee on Arrangements DAVID H. BROWNE, Chairman LAWRENCE ADDICKS Louts D. HUNTOON E. MALTBY SHIPP PERCY E. BARBOUR H.A. MEGRAW BRADLEY STOUGHTON GEORGE D. BARROW _ THOMAS T. READ EDWARD B. STURGIS KARL EILERS BURR A. ROBINSON ARTHUR L. WALKER F. T. RUBIDGE Summarized Program MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19 9:00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Registration at Institute Headquarters. , 10.00 a.m. Simultaneous Sessions on Geology and on Metallography.

Jan 2, 1917

By C. S. Trewin

ZINC, in its wrought form, is produced commercially in rolled strip, sheet, wire, rod and tubing. Wire has been made periodically, but due to the fact that slight drafts are necessary, the cost of production is greater than for the more common non-ferrous metals which are made into wire. Notwithstanding the cost, zinc wire has certain special uses for which it is particularly adaptable. Rod has been made both by rolling and extrusion, the product, however, has not indicated great commercial value. Tubing has been made from strip from time to time by forming a strip around a mandrel and either electrically or gas-welding a longitudinal joint. Recently a tube manufacturer has succeeded in making a fair quantity of this material. Its commercial adaptability is still to be determined but anyone who desires it can obtain quantities of the smaller sizes. Inasmuch as strip and sheet are commercially the most important, this paper will be devoted to these products. In the broader sense, zinc is not alloyed. That is, there are no combinations comparable to the various copper, aluminum and nickel alloys. It has been recognized,, for some time, that the lead and cadmium occurring with commercial zinc have some effect on its properties and such alloys as may be said to exist are those made from zincs containing varying amounts of lead and cadmium with a relatively low iron content. The foreign rolled zinc will analyze higher in lead than the domestic grades. A representative foreign analysis will run 1.1 per cent. lead, 0.07 per cent. cadmium and 0.02 per cent. iron. The American grades vary from zinc approximating high grade. and analyzing 0.08 per cent. lead, 0.002 per cent. cadmium and 0.015 per cent. iron, to the lower grades in which the lead will vary from 0.3 to 1.0 per cent., cadmium from 0.10 to 0.5 per cent. and the iron in the neighborhood of 0.02 percent.

Jan 1, 1927

By Lennart Bergstedt, Olov Fägremo

Boliden Metall Aktiebolag, the prime base metal mining company of Sweden, treats some 10-10.9 t/y (11-12 stpy) of sulphide ore in nine concentrators. During the years considerable effort has been devoted to the development of all phases of the technology of ore prospecting, mining, milling, smelting and refining. This has been necessary due to the complex and low grade ores. The autogenous grinding technique was first studied within the company as early as 1945. Basic test work commenced during the early fifties, whereby the merits of pebble grinding could be evaluated.

Jan 2, 1978

By David W. Brunton

FROM the old-fashioned " grab-sample " to the modern timing- . device, which takes a machine-sample with mathematical precision, there is a wide gap which was only crossed' by many years of toil and unremitting endeavor. Even to-day, notwithstanding the advancement in the art, "grab-sampling" is still practiced-sometimes to afford the unscrupulous mine-promoter a basis for fairy-tales with which to entrap the too-gullible investor, and often by milling and smelting companies to determine the amount of moisture in custom-ores. The latter practice is almost as reprehensible as the former, and it causes more trouble and ill-feeling between seller and buyer than all other factors put together. No reputable concern to-day would think of attempting to determine by grab-sampling the amount of gold, silver, lead, or copper contained in an ore, and yet many buyers expect the miner to accept the results of grab-sampling in the determination of the amount of water contained in the ore, forgetting that accurate results are just as necessary here as in the determination of the metals, because the result determines the percentage of weight of the ore which shall be excluded and considered to have no value whatever. Samples for the determination of moisture should be taken with as great care as samples for the determination of. metallic content, and in order to avoid the extra expense of a separate operation moisture-samples should be taken from the sample-safe. As the sample reaches the sample-bin in a smaller stream and by a more circuitous route than the "reject" travels in its path to the outgoing car, it loses more moisture en route, and a constant should be added to compensate for this difference. Carefully-conducted experiments have shown that the difference in loss of moisture between the two routes does not exceed 10 per cent. in summer and 7 per cent.. in winter. For instance,

Aug 1, 1909

By William Kent

I DESIRE to place on record in our Transactions a recent innovation in blast-furnace practice, namely, the introduction at the Lucy Furnaces, in Pittsburgh, of four water-tube steam-boilers, of the Babcock and Wilcox pattern, aggregating 832 horse-power, builder's rating, or 9,568 square feet of heating-surface, utilizing the waste gases of the furnaces as fuel. The boilers are set in two batteries, each of 416 horse-power, and each battery occupying a ground-space of 22 feet 7 inches by 20 feet 4 inches. The accompanying dram-

Jan 1, 1885

By W. S. Ayres

By Garth M. Crosby, F. McIntosh Galbraith, Bronson Stringham

THE Hercules mine is located in the northeastern section of the Coeur d'Alene district, approximately 1 1/2 miles north of the town of Burke, Idaho. Surface indications of the ore deposit were first discovered in 1886, but regular mine production was not started until 1902 and was continuous until April 1925, when the known ore had been extracted. Incomplete records show that from 1912 until operations were suspended the mine produced 2 1/2 million tons of ore containing 9.4 pct lead and 7.7 oz of silver per ton, together with an estimated 2 pct zinc, 0.3 pct copper, and 20 pct iron. This operation was the first in. a series of mining enterprises culminating in October 1947 with the consolidation of Day Mines, Inc. In the same year it was decided to unwater the levels below the collar of the Hercules shaft in the hope of finding some indication of a recurrence of ore. The unwatering operation has been described in a. previous paper.' The initial exploration, following recapture of the workings, showed sufficient promise to warrant a detailed study of the mineralogy with modern techniques. The general geo1ogy of the Coeur d'Alene district, including a detailed description of the rock types encountered, has been comprehensively treated by Ransome and Calkins' in their classic paper, and only local background description, therefore, is felt to be appropriate here. The Hercules deposit transects a portion of the trough of a broad south-trending synclinorium which has been greatly complicated by faulting. More locally, it lies within a block of ground bounded on the east; by the O'Neil Gulch fault, a steep north-south overthrust of considerable magnitude, and on the west by a monzonite stock, the outcrop of which is 1/2 mile or more wide and 5 miles long. The country rock is composed of thin to medium-bedded argillites and argillaceous quartz-ites of the Prichard and Burke formations, the oldest members of the Pre-cambrian Belt Series of sediments in the area, believed to be of Algonkian age. The contact between them is a conformable gradation. The argillite is colored gray to tannish-gray and is fine-grained, compact, and generally massive in structure. Under the microscope the unaltered argillite is seen to be composed principally of anhedral quartz and a few feldspar grains which were at one time presumably partly rounded sand grains, but as a result of recrystallization and cementation by silica, the interstices are now almost obliterated and quartz grains show crenulate boundaries. The sizes of these crystals vary from 0.5 mm down to 0.1 mm in greatest dimension. In all specimens sericite comprises 10 to 20 pct of the rock and is present abundantly between most of the grains as flakes or shreds which vary considerably in size. Sometimes they form a fine felt-like mat or aggregate, and sometimes flakes are seen which appear to be good muscovite. In some specimens, separated rhombic-shaped carbonate grains are abundant, and in some instances these have been changed to sericite. Mining operations to date have explored the Hercules vein to a maximum vertical depth of 3600 ft below its outcrop, and along a maximum strike-length of 3600 ft on certain of the lower mine levels. The main orebody is irregular in outline, extending over a variable strike-length of 400 to 1500 ft; and it is intersected by a strong transverse fault that has been traced from the surface to the bottom level. This has been named the Hercules fault, and apart from the vein itself, it is the most prominent structural feature in the mine. There is good evidence that it existed prior to the introduction of ore solutions and may have influenced ore deposition, but it was also the locus of important post-ore displacement and shows a progressive right-handed horizontal component reaching 200 ft on the deeper levels. Its vertical component is not definitely known but may be considerably greater. The fault strikes 20° N to 50° E and dips westerly at angles of 70" to 45", flattening in dip where it crosses the original orebody from east to west between 1000 and 1600 ft below the surface. At about 3000 ft in depth the Hercules fault is joined by a vertical fault of similar strike, and the major post-ore dis-placement below their junction is taken up along this vertical branch of the structure, now called the Mercury fault. Recent work has been concentrated in this vicinity. Another structural feature of special geologic interest, though of little economic importance, is the occurrence of a porphyritic dike in this area. This lies a short distance above the Hercules fault, essentially parallel to it, and is 5 to 15 ft in thickness. It appears at first glance to cut the mineralization, suggesting push-apart relationship, but small stringers of the vein minerals have been observed to penetrate the dike for a matter of inches at several points. The dike is thought to be related to the monzonite intrusion. A vertical longitudinal projection of the mine is shown in Fig. 1, which illustrates most of the features discussed above. The Hercules vein was deposited along the course of a strong, persistent shear zone that now appears as a braided network of gouge seams running through more or less crushed and shattered country rock. It strikes 70° N to 80° W and dips southerly at an average of 75". Barren parts of the structure vary in width from less than 1 ft to more than 15 ft. The width of mineralized segments may be double that. Although the evidence is not conclusive, pre-mineral, normal movement along the zone may be 1000 or 1500 ft. The horizontal component is unknown. Post-ore movement appears to have been

Jan 1, 1954

US 4,186,083-An improved collector for use In the froth flotation beneficiation of phosphate rock, barite, fluorspar, scheelite or Iron oxide ore comprises 70 to 99.9% by weight of tall oil fatty acid or the like and the remainder a described anionic perfluorosulfonate compound. Reagent consumption is lessened, and high recovery at high grade is effected. S.S. Wang, E.L. Smith, Jr., and E. F Huliganga, assigned to American Cyanamid Co. Jan 29, 1980. 4 pp. (209-166). Filed. 12-21-77 (863,034).

Jan 1, 1982

By M. J. Coolbaugh

Mining of potash more than 3000 ft beneath the water-bearing sediments in Saskatchewan presented the unique challenge of designing stable mine workings and assuring protection from overhead water in a material that was believed to flow plastically, but whose behavior as a plastic material was not sufficiently known. Under the stress conditions ordinarily encountered in mining most rocks behave as elastic materials; that is, they compress slightly under pressure, and rebound when the pressure is released. Salt and potash, however, are different. Even under the relatively low pressures encountered at shallow depths, these materials become slightly plastic and yield to stress by flowing.* The plastic properties become more pronounced at greater depth and pressure, and the question arises as to whether or not the plastic flow will be rapid enough and exert enough pressure to destroy underground structures or interrupt the mining process.

Jan 5, 1967

By H. B. FERNALD

THE interesting and carefully developed formula which Professor Bucky presents for answering the question of whether proposed new equipment will give a net return on investment equal to or greater than that on present equipment starts with an assumption that the management may make this relative return a determining factor in its decision whether or not the new equipment should be provided. I do not question that in some cases the management may take this position, but I would point out the error involved in so doing. The proper test is not a comparison of the return on new as compared with the return on old investment, but is rather a comparison of the return on a particular new investment as compared with the return which would be obtainable from some other new investment which now might be made. Then I would point out that I believe Professor Bucky is in error in using as a factor in his computations the item of unamortized cost of old investment. The financial advantage to be derived from a new investment does not depend on the extent to which we may in the past have written off the cost of old equipment, nor does it even depend upon what was the original cost of that old equipment. Even the salvage or resale value of the old equipment will only enter into the picture to the extent that the present salvage or resale value differs from the ultimate salvage or resale value otherwise to be obtained, after due allowance for the interest factor.

Jan 1, 1930