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City Resources Limited selected Vanuatu as a target area for epithermal gold mineralization because of its relatively unexplored character and its location on the southwest Pacific rim. During 1985 a systematic program of reconnaissance prospecting was completed on six islands within the Vanuatu group, using a helicopter and a specially designed exploration support vessel with on-board assay laboratory. Within a period of 4 months, reconnaissance prospecting of all six islands was completed, two previously unknown epithermal gold provinces had been discovered, and six major prospects warranting detailed exploration had been identified. Factors which contributed to the success of the program include (i) a flexible management approach, (ii) the mobility and access provided by the support vessel/helicopter combination, (iii) rapid assay turn-around, and (iv) adherence to basic prospecting techniques. The relative merits of various sampling media are discussed.

Jan 1, 1987

By R. D. Leitch

"REASONS FOR AND PURPOSE OF WORKIn 1924 the United States Public Health Service was requested to undertake a special study of stream pollution. At that time the proposal that the United States Bureau of Mines take up the study was made by the Public Health Service because in point of training and experience the personnel of the latter was considered not to be as well, suited to this type of investigation as was that of the Bureau of Mines. H. Foster Bain, then Director of this bureau, promised to undertake the work, and, accordingly, field investigations were begun in the spring of 1925. The problems of mine-drainage wastes and of gas-house and coke-oven waste were investigated in the laboratory, and a method of treatment by sodium hydrate and benzol was found to be promising. The idea was obtained by A. C. Fieldner, chief engineer of the Bureau of Mines experiment stations, while in Germany in 1924, where he was shown a practical application of the process, but no information was obtained as to definite chemical or mechanical processes. Because of the then pending American patent application by the German firm, we made no attempt to develop our findings further. Shortly after, a similar method of treatment was developed in the United States, and since that time we have devoted our attention entirely to mine drainage. This paper is a presentation of some general facts and information gathered during the past five years on coal-mine drainage.SCOPE OF WORKAt the time our work was begun there was such a diversity of opinion on the whole subject and apparently so little was accurately known, that it was decided to undertake a basic study from which (1) certain definite information might be evident, and (2) what might be considered side issues of the original investigation would be suggested for subsequent study.A stream in a district thought to be representative of those in low to average sulphur bituminous coal fields and another in a high sulpbur district were selected for study, A fair (weber of factors entered into the tentative selection of these streams, the chief ones being their accessibility and freedom from other industrial or domestic pollution, besides, of course, the presence of mine drainage in these streams."

Apr 1, 1931

ZINC concentrate, produced at Zeehan by flotation from Read Rosebery ore, is also dried and roasted at the same place for the production of a calcine suitable for use in the electrolytic zinc process at Risdon, Tasmania.DRYINGThe concentrate, dewatered to 12% moisture by an American filter, is fed into a dryer, the type of construction of which is similar to that of a duplex Edwards furnace. The dryer is 45 ft. long and 14 ft. wide, and has two rows of nine rabbles each, the two pairs nearest the firebox being watercooled.The longitudinal distance between rabble-centres is 4 ft. The rabbles are rotated at a speed of 3 r.p.m. by a I5-h.p. motor. Zinc concentrate is introduced by a screw feeder, consisting of two parallel-blade conveyors, revolving in opposite directions at aspeed of 31 r.p.m.Draft is supplied by a Sirocco fan, 15 in. intake, operated at 1340 r.p.m. by a 10-h.p. motor. The dust carried by the exit gases is removed in a wooden scrubbing tower, 3 ft. 6 in. x 4 ft. 6 in. x 27 ft. high, to which the fan delivers, and down which water issprayed.Wood (eucalyptus timber) is used as fuel, the consumption per ton of water evaporated being 0.55 :ton. Zinc concentrate from the dryer passed either to trucks for shipment or to Herreshoff furnaces. The portion for shipment is withdrawn at a point half-way down the furnace, being loaded on to a belt conveyor for transfer to railway trucks. The moisture at this point is 7% to 8%.

Jan 1, 1927

By N. E. Nelson

"The Hidden Creek mine is about l~ miles north of the north end of Granby bay; a nearly landlocked body of water on the west side of Observatory inlet; 90 miles north of Prince Rupert; British Columbia.The main haulage way of the mine at 385 feet above sea-level has been driven north into the somewhat precipitous end of a north-south ridge that rises from the tide flats between the east and west forks of Hidden creek. The outcrops of the principal orebodies, two prominent bluffs of stained rocks and sulphides, were higher on the face of the ridge and extended from about 530 to 850 feet elevation. North from the bluff tops, the ridge comb rose gradually to about 1,200 feet elevation. The name of the discoverer and the date of discovery of the Hidden Creek orebodies are probably unknown, but the discoverer is believed to have been an Indian from one of the reservations along Observatory inlet. The deposit was brought to the attention of John Flewin, Government Agent at Post Simpson, near the beginning of the present century. Mr. M. K. Rodgers, developer of the Nickel Plate mine at Hedley, did the first organized work on the deposits. Next the Hidden Creek Copper Company prospected the property. Rodgers acquired the prospect a second time, did more work, and finally in 1910 optioned the property to the Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Company, Limited, at that time operating at Phoenix and Grand Forks in the Boundary district of British Columbia. The optionees stepped up the development work and brought the property to production in 1914. The ores were direct smelted until 1924. In that year a mill was built. From 1930 until the end of the productive life of the properties in 1935, all of the ore was milled and the concentrate smelted. From March 17, 1914, until July 31, 1935, the production from the Hidden Creek mine was, in round numbers, 18,000,000 tons of 1.70 per cent copper ore and 6,000,000 tons of low grade dilution rock. The Hidden Creek mine ""died with its boots on"". During 1934 the average monthly production was 146,377 tons of 1.06 per cent copper ore. For 7 months of 1935 the average was 161,750 tons of 1.03 per cent ore, and for the final month, July 1935, the production was 156,950 tons."

Jan 1, 1954

By M Dale White

Captive insurance companies have recently been discovered by risk management experts as a risk transfer vehicle and are very much in vogue. Actually, captive insurance companies are not a new phenomenon. Centuries ago, the first insurance organizations were what we today refer to as group or association captives. Early traders banded together to share the risks of ocean shipments writing ocean cargo coverage, the oldest form of insurance.

Jan 1, 1980

By A. M. Adair

The effect of cathodically charging zone-refined iron with hydrogen and the resultant yield stress-grain size relationship has been investigated by tensile testing at -31°C. The resulting Petch plots (using a least-squares analysis) reveal a significant reduction in the slope and an increase in the intercept for specimens cathodically charged with hydrogen, regardless of whether the hydrogen is present during testing or is removed by evacuation. Other than surface blistering, the major effect of cathodically charging this material is to create occasional grain boundary cracks and thus presumably a large number of free dislocations at grain boundaries. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that the slope of the Petch plot is related to the stress required to activate dislocation sources at or near pain boundaries. While there is no significant effect of the presence of hydrogen on the lower yield stress of this material, the ductility is considerably reduced. After hydrogen removal by evacuation, the ductility recovers substantially and almost complete recovery of ductility is experienced by the smaller grain size specimens. THE influence of hydrogen on the mechanical properties of ferritic materials has received much attention throughout the history of the metallurgy profession. This interest has stemmed from the obvious importance of preventing the catastrophic failure of parts in service, and from the desire to determine what mechanism is responsible for the observed behavior. The various mechanisms proposed for hydrogen em-brittlement have been discussed in detail by Tetel-man,'who concludes that a combination of the applied stress and hydrogen pressure within voids best accounts for the many experimental observations reported. From a quite reasonable correlation of the strain aging and delayed-failure behavior of a variety of materials,2-7 Troiano and coworkers are of the opinion that the delayed-failure mechanism (slow strain rate embrittlement as well) is better explained as a lattice effect; solute elements diffuse to regions of high triaxial stress, form uncondensed atmospheres there, and effect a reduction in the cohesive strength of the lattice. Since hydrogen yield points8,9 have been observed in ferritic materials, and since the hydrogen embrittlement process may be related to strain aging, one further contribution to embrittlement could be hydrogen-dislocation interactions which make crack blunting by plastic deformation a more difficult process. The etch" relationship offers a means of comparing the relative ease of initiating and propagating plastic deformation in metals and alloys. In the present study, this relationship was used to compare the behavior of zone-refined iron in three conditions: uncharged, cathodically charged with hydrogen, and cathodically charged with hydrogen and evacuated. These Petch plots and the observed ductility parameters allowed a separation of the effects of the very presence of hydrogen and the act of cathodically charging hydrogen into this material. MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE An ingot of zone-refined iron was obtained from Battelle Memorial Institute which contained the following (typical) interstitial impurities in ppm: carbon, 10 * 5; nitrogen, 1; oxygen, 22; hydrogen, 0.9. The ingot was cold-reduced to a 1/2-in.-sq cross section, recrystallized 1 hr at 575°C, and then straight-rolled to a thickness of about 0.105 in. Tensile specimens were milled from the strip having a 1-in. gage length

Jan 1, 1967

By Z. Pilecki

This work concerns the identification of weak zones in the structure of a rock mass endangered by outburst of gases and rocks in the Rudna copper ore mine at greater depths (approximately 1200 m). A special methodology has been undertaken for the recognition of that threat in the wake of an outburst in the mine in 2009. No similar phenomena have been previously recorded in KGHM Polska Miedz copper ore mines. The research described in this paper was carried out in the new part of the deposit prepared for mining. Geophysical methods were used: seismic tomography and borehole ground penetrating radar (BGPR), along with particular identifications using geological engineering methods. In the researched area, Permian layers of sandstone and shale clay (Weissliegendes formation) and of Zechstein dolomite (top of Rotliegend formation) and anhydrite occur in the copper ore deposit. The rock layers are characterized by variable thickness and intensity of mineralization, varying internal structure, and local fracturing containing different gases and water. It is assumed that accumulation of gases occurs in the tectonically fractured dolomite. The study was focused on the recognition of the structure and properties of the dolomite layer lying directly within the roof of excavations. The first tests were performed with seismic tomography for the recognition of anomalous changes in the elastic properties of the rock mass. The results of these studies were used to design a control borehole for a detailed geological engineering assessment and BGPR surveys with 100MHz antennas. Seismic tomography enabled the identification of changes in Pwave and S-wave velocity, the Vp/Vs ratio, dynamic Poisson's ratio and dynamic Young's modulus. It was clear that seismic anomalies required verification by other methods. The BGPR survey was performed in a specially designed borehole, passing through the selected seismic anomalies. While the borehole was being drilled, the outflow of gases was identified, with varying amounts of CH4, CO2, and H2S detected, as well as water outflow. The results of BGPR confirmed the location of a reservoir of water and gases, about 30 m in length, found in layer of dolomite. The direct cause of the BGPR anomaly was assumed to be intensive fracturing, a greater content of clay material in the dolomite, and the presence of water in the fractured zone. The BGPR image was correlated with information on lithology, fracturing based on the RQD index and additional information acquired during drilling about water and gases surveys and other symptoms. The achieved results also showed a very strong correlation between the location of the zone containing gases and water and the anomalous S-wave velocity and field of dynamic Poisson?s ratio, and to a lesser extent other seismic parameters. It was found that the other measured seismic anomalies may be of the same nature as those identified in the control borehole and accordingly will require the implementation of detailed identification. The performed tests have also shown the usefulness of geophysical methods to identify geodynamic hazards under the geological and mining conditions of the copper ore deposit in the Rudna mine.

Aug 1, 2013

By Jurgens J. Louw, Vincent C. Smith, Gareth C. Smith, Agit Singh, Dave G. Hulbert

"The flexibility of the PlantStar control platform has enabled Mintek to investigate and easily develop new control strategies for both milling and flotation. This includes a Solids Feed Controller, a Safety Limit Controller, Mill Power Optimiser and Flotation Optimiser, amongst others.The solids feed controller was developed for minerals processing plants using a specialised time delay compensator. Using conventional time delay compensators that are purely model based, results in robustness problems due to model uncertainties. The Mintek Solid Feeds Controller makes use of a plant model, but compensates for model inaccuracies, giving more controller stability and a more robust delay compensation algorithm.The safety limit controller has been developed to switch smoothly between normal and safety control loops without bumping the process. The safety loop output is chosen in accordance with a predefined list of priorities and whether the respective constraint boundaries are exceeded.The Mill Power Optimiser helps to find the power peak on the mill power curve. This insures maximum grind with maximum throughput. It also prevents power dips due to mill overloads, making the milling circuit easier to operate.The flotation optimiser algorithm analyses trends of all accessible variables in the process. The algorithm uses this information to calculate operating conditions that will control the residence times, mass pulls and circulating loads within a flotation circuit to a specified setpoint. Research is being done to now optimise these setpoints in order to achieve better recovery."

Jan 1, 2003

By Kent S. Roessler

The Bureau of Mines is currently investigating the geophysical application of Tomography to monitor leachate during in-situ mining. Determining the location of the leachate is important for both economic and environmental reasons. By analyzing a sequence of tomographic images, we can determine where highly permeable/fractured regions are located and hence, major flow paths. Since BOMTOM (Bureau Of Mines TOMography - Tomographic Reconstruction Program), and BOMCRATR (Bureau Of Mines Curved RAy Tomography - Tomographic Reconstruction Program) are sensitive to user-selected ray path arrival times, we are also investigating the use of neural networks to automate the process of recognizing this feature. This paper presents a technique for detecting fracture zones and their orientations in a region between two boreholes, by using a motion analysis study of a sequence of tomographic images. It also addresses the need for an automated/unbiased method to pick crosshole seismic arrival times using a trained neural network. In exploration geophysics, the picking of first break arrivals represents a pattern recognition task. The neural net paradigm has proved to be a good method of solving this type of task. To pick the first arrival peak of a trace, the network is trained with a set of known (user selected) first arrival peaks by creating a binary image of a set of traces. Once trained, the neural net correctly picked first arrivals of the remaining traces in the set.

Jan 1, 1992

By J. P. Weiler

The increasing use of high-pressure die-cast magnesium alloys in the automobile industry requires a better understanding of the mechanical properties, the microstructure, and particularly, the relationship between these two. The goal of this study is to first understand the microstructural features which control the mechanical properties observed from an AM6OB magnesium alloy, and second, to be able to predict the local mechanical properties based on microstructural features encountered in different areas of the die-cast component. The two main tools used in this study are spherical indentation testing, used on local areas of the die-cast magnesium alloy AM6OB to detect changes in microstructure and mechanical properties, and X-ray tomography, used to non-destructively investigate the internal porosity in a sample. The results from these tests are then used to predict the local mechanical properties such as the yield stress, the strain-hardening characteristics, and the fracture properties of the AM6OB component.

Jan 1, 2006

By F. A. Schaufelberger

Early work on chemical precipitation of metals from metal salt solutions is reviewed. The chemistry and thermodynamics of precipitating copper, nickel, cobalt, and cadmium metals by reaction with hydrogen are discussed. Mechanisms of metal precipitation, nu-cleation, growth, and agglomeration are reviewed, as well as some solubility phenomena of cleation,gases and solids at elevated temperatures. Experimental data presented deal mainly with the reaction of copper sulfate solution with Hz. METAL can be recovered from a leach solution either indirectly by precipitation as a compound that is later reduced or directly by electrolysis, cementation, or chemical reduction, for example, with hydrogen. The widely used electrowinning processes suffer from the inefficiency of converting fuel to low voltage dc and from low current efficiency when complete recovery is attempted. With the batch hydrogen reduction methods outlined here, a unit of fuel converted to hydrogen in modern gas reform plants will make two to three times as much metal as can be obtained with electrolysis. With continuous hydrogen reduction, four to six times as much metal is obtained. Precipitation by reducing a metal salt solution with H, has been known for almost 100 years.' Commercial use of the process, however, awaited the research and development program initiated by Chemical Construction Corp. Within the last few years this program has brought about construction of commercial plants, listed on p. 701. Ideal hydrogen reduction will precipitate a pure metal from a solution obtained by commercial leaching methods at a rapid rate without excessive temperatures and pressures. The metal precipitate will be of desired size and density, less than a percent left in the vessel being deposited on the wetted parts. The present discussion will outline Chemical Construction Corp.'s early development program and will discuss the chemistry and mechanics of reducing copper, nickel, cobalt, and cadmium from solution by H2. Work on selective reduction of nickel from cobalt has been described earlier.2 The article is not concerned with precipitation of copper by disproportionation of cuprous solutions where yield is limited" to 50 pet.* It does not discuss use of gaseous reducing agents other than hydrogen, such as SCV which may lead to contamination with sulfur, or CO," which is considerably more expensive than hydrogen and produces a gaseous reaction product, CO2.† The article does not include use of other nongaseous reducing agents: which are far more expensive than CO. Also, notes on the history, engineering design, and performance of commercial plants have been given elsewhere." It will be shown that a pure metal can be precipitated by reduction with hydrogen from solutions obtained by commercial leaching methods when the solution cohposition is controlled and proper acidity, proper metal ion concentration through controlled complex formation and hydrolysis, and adequate agitation for suspension of metal and for transfer of reducing gas are maintained. Reasonable temperatures and pressures are used which are less excessive than those used by previous workers, although they are maintained at above equilibrium values because of process kinetics.' It has also been found necessary to induce nuclea-tion and to control growth and agglomeration in order to get a powder product of suitable physical properties. Review of the Literature Muller, Schlecht, and Schubardt of I. G. Farbenm claimed a successive reduction of silver, copper, nickel, cobalt, and zinc from ammoniacal solution by applying progressively higher temperatures and hydrogen pressures. Metals produced by this technique were not pure, since no attempt was made to adjust the solution composition between the different reductions. It is doubtful that the zinc product contained any metallic zinc. The major contribution to the literature" was made by the Ipatiews,12 who prepared platinum, iridium, copper, nickel, cobalt, lead, tin, arsenic. antimony, and bismuth at often extreme conditions, up to the critical temperature of water (373"C), at 1500 to 7500 psi, for as long as several days. Even cadmium and zinc were claimed to have been observed in trace quantities precipitated together with basic salts. In the early experiments solutions were not stirred. Extensive formation of oxides and basic salts occurred. probably long before sufficient hydrogen could be supplied in the unstirred liquid to decrease the metal concentration in solution by reduction. The importance of hydrogen pressure was

Jan 1, 1957

By R. C. Amero

FULLERS earth is a general name applied to claylike minerals that have high natural ad-sorptive powers. They are usually distinguished from ordinary clays by a higher content of combined moisture and a lower apparent density. The definition is based on the ancient use of the material for fulling, or cleansing woolen cloth of oil and grease; a more modern definition should mention the ability to decolorize oil and should differentiate between fullers earth, which is naturally active, and certain bentonites which only develop decolorizing power after being leached with strong mineral acids. The distinction between fullers earth and activable bentonite is not a sharp one, since all types of intermediate clays can be found that are more or less naturally active, yet more or less responsive to acid treatment. The differences seem to depend somewhat on the amount of leaching that has been effected by natural ground waters. Physical Properties The principal mineral constituent of activable bentonite is montmorillonite, a hydrous aluminum silicate to which the following formula is generally assigned: Al,Si,O,, (OH), • 12H,O Fullers earth, as well as bentonite, is usually composed of some variety of montmorillonite, but in the United States the largest tonnage of fullers earth is mined from deposits of attapulgite. Attapul- gite is a clay mineral composed of monoclinic crystals of colloidal size, having a fibrous shape similar to that of asbestos. A sectional model of the attapulgite "molecule" is shown in Fig. 1. A single unit is about 18.0 A wide and 12.9 A high. The length of the molecule is variable, but this same molecular pattern is repeated to form needlework crystals, rather than flakes, as is characteristic of the montmorillonite crystals. Attapulgite has been assigned the following formula,' although actually, the magnesia has been largely replaced by alumina: (0%) . (OH), • Mg, . Si, • Olp . 4H20. The fibrous nature of the mineral is clearly shown in the electron micrograph, Fig. 2. Although the deposits contain 5 to 30 pct quartz and carbonate minerals, impurities in the commercial products are held at a low level, principally by selective mining on the basis of oil decolorizing efficiency. The particle size distribution of this fullers earth has been estimated from settling rates, using sodium citrate as a dispersing agent.' Since Stokes' law only applies to spherical particles, the equivalent particle diameter calculated below is probably more nearly an index of diameter rather than length of the needlelike crystals: Eqnivalent Arbitrary Particle Distribution, Size Diameter Pci Classil3catian 0.05 mm 0.80 0.80 pct sand 0.05-0.02 mm 10.96 0.02-0.01 mm 9.65 42.10 pct silt 0.01-0.005 mm 11.40 0.005-0.002 mm 10.09 2-0.5 micron 10.61 0.5-0.2 micron 29.09 56.58 pct clay 0.2-0.05 micron 14.86 0.05 micron 1.96 The differential thermal analysis shown in Fig. 3 is unique and supports the theory that this is a distinct mineral species.' ~ Other general properties of the mineral as shown in Table I.

Jan 1, 1952

By Paponetti B. . A.

Gold is usually recovered by cyanidation, thiourea leaching and amalgamation, however the efficiency of these technologies, in the case of refractory ores, is low ever when fuie grinding is practised. For example, .if the gold particles are included in sulphide minerals, the leachant cannot reach them, so they are often lost in the tailings. Hence .it is first necessary to break the sulphide crystals by preliminary treatment such as roasting, nitric .acid oxidation, pressure leaching and bacterial oxidation and then apply a conventional extractive technique for satisfactory gold recovery. This paper describes the effect of biological pre-treatment with Thiobacillus ferrooxidans) on the? extraction ? and? recovery of gold by conventional cyanidate. leaching from; a refractory arsenopyrite ore from Golcuck (Turkey).

Jan 1, 1991

By J. S. S. Allwin Ebinesar

The bioremediation of zinc was carried out using Pseudomonas alcaligenes, a Gram negative heterotroph. The parameters such as pH, bacterial cell number, initial metal concentration, and interaction time on the biosorption of zinc were studied. The maximum zinc uptake was found to be about 95% at pH 5 and biomass loading of 2.7x1010cells/mL. The biosorption isotherm for zinc exhibited Langmuirian behavior and the Gibbs free energy of biosorption was determined to be -31.2 kJ/mol, indicative of coordination of zinc with the functional groups on the bacterial surface. The adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second order equation. FTIR and EDAX studies confirmed the interaction of zinc with the biomass. The mechanisms of metal-microbe interactions are discussed.

Sep 1, 2012

By Charles R. Barnhart

The Nitrogen Dioxide Cloud: After one year of testing it can be stated that we do know and understand a great deal about why the nitrogen dioxide formation is exacerbated in cast blasting. Picture 1 is an example of how concentrated the NOx can be from a cast blast. It has long been felt that 300 or more milliseconds of timing needs to be put between each row of detonations to allow the rock a maximum time of flight so the cast percentage is high. Our experiments have found that higher cast percentages can make with timing between 150 to 200 milliseconds between rows. Picture 2 show a definite improvement in nitrogen dioxide concentration and most of that was the result of shooting a previously shot end of the cast pattern that had not been dug, thus no confinement of the powder columns.

Jan 1, 2004

By William Hurst

This is a presentation of the diffusivity theory for the calculation of the water drive on an oil reservoir in which the history of reservoir pressure with time are the essential parameters for the determination of the rate and cumulative water encroachment into a field. The main body of the paper is essentially the application of the principles underlined here to actual field data. It consists of the work plots of the radial-flow case, and includes a discussion of an illustrated problem for which the water-drive calculations are treated in conjunction with the volumetric-balance equation. The appendix is a mathematical treatment of the linear, radial, and spherical cases of water influx into a reservoir. Introduction The evaluation of oil reserves and the prediction of pressure behavior with different rates of production are related to the volumetric balance of the fluids entering and leaving the space occupied by the oil and gas originally present in the formation; that is to say, important information can be gleaned from a volumetric study of the oil, gas, and water produced from a formation as it affects the extent of change in volume of oil zone, the gas cap, and the amount of water influx from the adjoining water sands. It is not the purpose of this paper to enter into a discussion of the equation of volumetric balance, in which such pertinent information as subsurface sampling and the measurement of reservoir pressures play a predominant part, as this has been discussed in detail by others.1,2 However, there is an inherent difficulty that has limited the general application of this equation to a study of oil reservoirs; that is, the insufficient knowledge of the analytics for expressing the water drive on a field as a function of reservoir pressure. This to a large degree has been overcome and it is the purpose of this paper to present this theory in such form as to be applicable for reservoir calculations. Water Drive If the amount of oil originally in place and the gas space are known, it is a relatively simple matter to determine, by the volumetric equation, the cumulative water influx into a reservoir from the adjoining water sands. Often, however, the oil reserve as well as water influx must be 'determined, and in order to be able to make this calculation it is essential to assign a mathematical relationship for the varying water term that is compatible with conditions known to exist in the formation and gives an accuracy acceptable for engineering calculations. Various equations have been employed empirically by different investigators in making reservoir studies of water drive. One form used by Schilthuis2 expresses the rate of water influx into a reservoir at any time as proportional to the pressure

Jan 1, 1943

Jan 1, 1913

By T. G. Lovering

Nonparametric statistical tests have practical application to many geological problems because, unlike the standard statistical tests, they do not require assumptions regarding the form of the population frequency distribution. Many of them do not even require that the variable be susceptible to numerical measurement. These tests are useful either 1) for geological data representing population distributions of unknown form, or otherwise not meeting the requirements for standard parametric tests; or 2) for sample attributes that cannot be measured but only ranked in order of relative magnitude. The application of two such tests will be illustrated. The Kolmogorov-Smimov test will be used to test for significant differences in copper distribution in samples of two rock types; the Spearman rank-correlation method will be used to determine whether there is a significant association between intensity of rock alteration and copper content of the rock. Nonparametric tests are, in general, quicker and easier to perform than the corresponding parametric tests, and they may be applied to a greater variety of data. They are not as powerful as the standard tests if used on data to which the latter are applicable, and computer programs utilizing them are not generally available. The use of standard or parametric statistical procedures for the interpretation of measured geological data is familiar to most mining engineers and explora- tion geologists. The computation of product moment correlation coefficients on sample assays for more-than one component is already standard procedure in some company operations, as is the use of Student's F test and Snedecor's F test for the comparison of means and variances of sample groups. The application of these three tests is limited by the prerequisites that the samples must be random, independent representatives of normally distributed populations and that the variables involved must be measurable. If such tests are applied to data which fall short of fulfilling these prerequisites, then the probability level attributed to the computed statistic is invalid and the conclusions based thereon may be erroneous. A number of nonparametric, or distribution free, statistical tests have been developed for use with data which are not amenable to standard parametric procedures. These tests have been widely used in the behavioral sciences such as psychology and sociology for some time, but their application to geologic problems is relatively new. Nonparametric tests may be grouped into two main categories: those which test for significant differences in a single variable by comparing either sample values with a standard value or representative values between two or more groups of samples; and those which test for significant association between pairs of variables in a single group of samples. The versatile chi square test, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov one and two sample tests, the Wilcox matched pairs signed ranks test, the median test, the Mann-Whitney U test and the Cochran Q test are examples of nonparametric tests with demonstrated or potential geological applications that belong in the first category. The contingency coefficient, Spearman rank correlation coefficient, Kendall rank correlation coefficient and the

Jan 1, 1963

By P. J. Root, J. E. Warren

An idealized model has been developed for the purpose of studying the characteristic behavior of a permeable medium which contains regions which contribute significantly to the pore volume of the system but contribute negligibly to the flow capacity; e.g., a naturally fractured or vugular reservoir. Unsteady-state flow in this model reservoir has been investigated analytically. The pressure build-up performance has been examined in some detail; and, a technique for analyzing the build-up data to evaluate the desired parameters has been suggested. The use of this approach in the interpretation of field data has been discussed. As a result of this study, the following general conclusions can be drawn: 1. Two parameters are sufficient to characterize the deviation of the behavior of a medium with "double porositym from that of a homogeneously porous medium. 2. These parameters can be evaluated by the proper analysis of pressure build-up data obtained from adequately designed tests. 3. Since the build-up curve associated with this type of porous system is similar to that obtained from a stratified reservoir, an unambiguous interpretation is not possible without additional information. 4. Differencing methods which utilize pressure data from the final stages of a build-up test should be used with extreme caution. INTRODUCTION In order to plan a sound exploitation program or a successful secondary-recovery project, sufficient reliable information concerning the nature of the reservoir-fluid system must be available. Since it is evident that an adequate description of the reservoir rock is necessary if this condition is to be fulfilled, the present investigation was undertaken for the purpose of improving the fluid-flow characterization, based on normally available data, of a particular porous medium. DISCUSSION OF THE PROBLEM For many years it was widely assumed that, for the purpose of making engineering studies, two param- eters were sufficient to describe the single-phase flow properties of a producing formation, i.e., the absolute permeability and the effective porosity. It later became evident that the concept of directional permeability was of more than academic interest; consequently, the degree of permeability anisotropy and the orientation of the principal axes of permeability were accepted as basic parameters governing reservoir performance. 1,2 More recently, 3-6 it was recognized that at least one additional parameter was required to depict the behavior of a porous system containing regions which contributed significantly to the pore volume but contributed negligibly to the flow capacity. Microscopically, these regions could be "dead-end" or "storage" pores or, macroscopi-cally, they could be discrete volumes of low-permeability matrix rock combined with natural fissures in a reservoir. It is obvious that some provision for the inclusion of all the indicated parameters, as well as their spatial variations, must be made if a truly useful, conceptual model of a reservoir is to be developed. A dichotomy of the internal voids of reservoir rocks has been suggested.7,8 These two classes of porosity can be described as follows: a. Primary porosity is intergranular and controlled by deposition and lithification. It is highly interconnected and usually can be correlated with permeability since it is largely dependent on the geometry, size distribution and spatial distribution of the grains. The void systems of sands, sandstones and oolitic limestones are typical of this type. b. Secondary porosity is foramenular and is controlled by fracturing, jointing and/or solution in circulating water although it may be modified by infilling as a result of precipitation. It is not highly interconnected and usually cannot be correlated with permeability. Solution channels or vugular voids developed during weathering or burial in sedimentary basins are indigenous to carbonate rocks such as limestones or dolomites. Joints or fissures which occur in massive, extensive formations composed of shale, siltstone, schist, limestone or dolomite are generally vertical, and they are ascribed to tensional failure during mechanical deformation (the permeability associated with this type of void system is often anisotropic). Shrinkage cracks are the result

By Franz-Werner Gerressen

In the changing construction environment clients are searching for new technology to complete their projects in shorter times. Manufacturers are therefore developing solutions to speed up established construction methods. The significant progress in recent years with the development of increasingly powerful drilling rigs is providing piling companies increase options for the execution of specialist foundation projects. The double rotary drilling methods are primarily used for the construction of pile walls as support for deep excavations. Typically these retaining walls are designed and installed as cased piles using the established Kelly drilling mode. However, more recently it is more popular to undertake these projects with the Cased Continuous Flight Auger (CCFA) system. This paper provides an overview of drilling with double rotary methods, in particular the monitoring during installation.

Jan 1, 2009