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By Walter M. Small

Austria produced approximately 800 cisterns of 10,000 kg. each (56,000 bbls.) of crude oil of a 0.9428 sp. gr. during 1935. Of this Gosting II well near Zistersdorf, owned by the Erdolproduktions-Gesellschaft m.b.H., produced 86 per cent of the total, averaging a little over 1.8 cisterns, or about 125 bbl., per day. Gosting IVa of the same company was put in production early in December and produced a total of about 70 cisterns (4900 bbl.). Gosting IV was a failure, but a directional hole drilled from the same derrick produced Gosting IVa. Gosting I, a well owned jointly by the company above mentioned and the Raky-Danubia, was deepened late in the year and made about 2800 bbl. of oil at the rate of 70 bbl. per day. Completions during the year were as follows: In the Gosting pool, Gosting IV and IVa, drilled with rotary tools, the latter producing from Sarmat at a depth of 934 meters (3065 ft.); Kronberg I, of European Gas & Electric Co. with cable tools in Flysch at a depth of 566 m. as a dry hole; in the Oberlaa gas pool, one cable-tool well of the same company at a depth of 266 m. as a dry hole and one Fauck-Haiek system well of the Vacuum Oil Co. at a depth of 483 m. as a dry hole; one rotary hole of the European Gas & Electric Co. at Enzersdorf a/d. Fischa plugged and abandoned in Sarmat after a blow out and gas eruption at a depth of 699.5 meters. The status of drilling wells at close of the year is as follows: In the Gosting pool, Erdol Bohr- und Verwertungs G.m.b.H., north of the producing area, was drilling with rotary at 990 m., Raky-Danubia is rigged up to deepen the old Windisch-Baumgarten hole, Rohoel-Gewin-nungs A.G. (Vacuum-Shell combination) rigging up rotary south of the production, and Steinberg-Naphta G.m.b.H. (Musil) was deepened with light rotary to 830 m.; at Enzersdorf a/d. Fischa, the European Gas & Electric Co. E-2 rotary-drilled hole stood at 1533 m. in Miocene waiting

Jan 1, 1936

By Robert Mehl

IN examining the progress of metallurgical science, the critic must remember that most of our present knowledge of metals and alloys has been accumulated through the needs of industry and commerce rather than through the desire and efforts of a large body of scientists interested primarily in developing a science of metals. The progress of metallurgy, scientifically speaking, has been irregular, and little given to the exhaus-tive exploitation of important scientific fields. The experienced engineer now recognizes the need for the development of the basic science upon which his engineering rests. In addition to the increase in knowledge which results from the normal requirements of industry, a development of the basic science of the behavior of metals and alloys is as desirable in metallurgy as in any other branch of science and engineering. The continued growth of the science of metals-as of every other science-requires studious attention to the principles that underlie the behavior of matter, with the result that knowledge in the several fields of interest should continue to increase. Among the various subjects recognized as important in physical metallurgy few have a wider significance than that of diffusion in solid metals. The phenomena of diffusion are intimately related to many basic problems of the metallic state, but in addition to this, the process of diffu-sion is of first importance practically. The formation of alloys by the annealing of mixed powders, first practiced by Faraday and Stodart81 in 1820 and in more recent years investigated by Masing187,189 and others, has led to the development of special alloys like Carboloy, Vascoloy-Ramet, Genelite, Elcon68, and has recently been applied to the production of noble-metal alloys for electrical contacts"'.

Jan 1, 1936

By George S. Rice

In response to numerous requests for information as to the status of internal-combustion mine locomotives of the Diesel type that use heavy or non- volatile oil for fuel, with special reference to their safe use in coal mines, the United States Bureau of Mines is issuing this report. Data mere obtained, on application of such locomotives to cod mining only in Belgium, France, Germany, and Great Britain. The locomotives are used in coal mining in other countries, as well as in potash, iron, and other kinds of mining, but their chief development has been in coal mining in Germany, France, and Belgium. Recently popular interest in the Diesel type of engine for motive purposes was aroused in this country by the successful application of Diesel engines to railroad locomotives hauling fast transcontinental trains, and, according to published statements, at a low cost of fuel per mile of run.

Jan 1, 1936

By Walter Bradley

MINING by hydraulic process of the important gold-bearing gravels of the Sacramento Valley in the basins of the Yuba, Bear and American rivers began in 1853, and continued at an ever-increasing rate for 30 years. In its most active days it reached an annual production of $15,000,000, and averaged $10,000,000 per year over the 30 years. During that period no provisions were made to prevent the debris from being dis-charged into the water courses, and ultimately large quantities of silt, sand and gravel were washed down to the lower valleys; filling channels, causing overflow of agricultural lands and difficulty in maintaining navigable depths in the Sacramento River. Agitation and suits filed because of these damages finally resulted in the injunction decision of Judge L. B. Sawyer,1 in the U.S. Circuit Court, Jan. 23, 1884, which closed down practically all hydraulic mining operations not having means to restrain their debris. In 1893 (approved March 1, 1893), Congress passed the act introduced by Representative Anthony Caminetti, of California, creating the California Debris Com-mission, composed of three officers assigned from the Engineer Corps of the U.S. Army, and since that time it has been legal and possible within the drainage systems of Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers to conduct hydraulic mining of gold-bearing gravels behind dams built under this commission's permit and supervision. In the watersheds of the Trinity and Klamath rivers, which flow directly to the Pacific Ocean and do not affect navigation or agriculture, operating permits from the California Debris Commission are not required. There is a measure of restriction there, however,. through what is known as the Trinity and Klamath River Fish and Game Dis-trict. Chap. 215, Stat. 1931, in order to secure relatively clear water for the fishing season, provides that between July 15 and October 15 each year there must not be discharged into these rivers debris that will cause a turbidity greater than a content of 50 parts per million in the

Jan 1, 1936

By J. B. Newson

This is one of a series of circulars dealing with mining methods, practices, and costs. It describes the method of sinking a shaft 60 inches in diameter with a shot drill, as employed at the Idaho Maryland mine, Grass Valley, Calif. The operation involved a great deal of experimentation in applying the shot-drill method to large bore drilling, overcoming mechanical and other difficulties which developed during sinking, and developing operating technique. Under such circumstances, costs are obviously higher than they would be after the pioneer work has been done, but even so, these actually obtained compare favorably with costs of sinking by more conventional methods. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors are indebted to Mr. Errol McBoyle, president of the Idaho Maryland Mining Co., not only for his cooperation and advice during the sinking of this experimental shaft, but for permission to prepare this article for publication with the inclusion of cost data.

Jan 1, 1936

By J. D. Wheeler, H. W. Mathews

AS predicted by Messrs. Fuqua and Thompson, in last year's paper on West Texas1, 1935 saw a marked increase in activity in this area over recent years. Both major and independent operators shared in the increased wildcatting operations, which resulted in the discovery of eight and probably nine new fields in this area. During 1935 there were 700 wells completed as compared with 468 in 1934 and only 236 in 1933. Of these completions 579 were producers with a total 24-hr. potential of over 700,000 bbl. It is estimated that the new fields discovered during 1935 added from 200,000,000 to 400,000,000 bbl. to the known oil reserve in West Texas. In addition to these new fields, many of the older producing areas scored marked extensions during the year. New Fields Goldsmith.—-The Goldsmith field, in west central Ector County, gives promise of being the year's outstanding discovery in this area. The discovery well was completed by the Gulf Production Co. in June at a depth of 4177 ft.; it gaged 275 bbl. of 36° gravity oil in 3 hr. through 85/8-in. casing on its first production test. The field has been extended to the east by wells drilled by Phillips and Pure on their Cowden block. Present indications are that the field may contain 10,000 productive acres, and this, together with the large flush production from only a small penetration into the pay, leads to the belief that Gulf-Goldsmith No. 1 was the outstanding Permian lime discovery of 1935. It is quite probable that production will prove to be continuous to the Landreth-Scarborough No. 1, 33/4 miles to the northwest, which was completed for a small producer late in 1934. Sand Hills (Ordovician).—From the standpoint of creating excitement, the outstanding West Texas test of the year was no doubt Gulf-Waddell No. 1, on the northwest nose of the Sand Hills structure. This test was started late in 1934 as a deep test to the Ordovician. Thc Ordovician was topped above 6000 ft,., considerably higher than expected. Oil shows in the Simpson were passed and the well was drilled down to the

Jan 1, 1936

By Quentin Singewald

SOME of the broader relations between structure and ore deposition along the London fault, deduced from a thorough study of the geology of the eastern part of the Mosquito Range, should be of general interest to economic geologists. The first part of this paper is a generalized state-ment of the geology of the region in which the London fault is located; it may be supplemented by reference to several earlier publications by the writers and to the U. S. Geological Survey's Professional Paper 148, on the Leadville district. The second part deals with the structure of both the fault and the disturbed zone adjoining the fault. The third part dis-cusses the salient features of the ore deposits, particularly emphasizing structural control. The two generalized maps are complementary to one another but contain too many data to show on a single small map. The London fault is between Leadville and Alma, and the ore deposits along it are said to lie in the Alma district. Field work in this district, during six summers since 1927, has been a part of the cooperative work of the U. S. Geological Survey, the State of Colorado, and the Colorado Metal Mining Board. The writers have made use of work by R. D. Butler, J. W. Vanderwilt and R. E. Landon. G. F. Loughlin and C. H. Behre, Jr., who have worked on the west side of the range, have con-tributed valuable suggestions. Mining men of the district have aided in many ways.

Jan 1, 1936

By Hewitt Wilson

IN 1903, T. M. and E. H. Alvord, of Marblemount, Wash., built a soapstone-grinding mill in the Skagit River Valley and are reported to have produced "ground talc" during 1904 and 1905, shipping to the paper mills in Wisconsin. Between 1916 and 1920, the Western Talc Co. built and operated a talc-grinding mill north of Mondovi, on the banks of the Spokane River, in eastern Washington, and sold powdered talc to the Inland Empire Paper Co. of Spokane. ? The most active develop-ment in recent years has been by two companies in the Skagit Valley-the Skagit Talc Company, Inc., which has been sawing soapstone block for the soda-recovery furnaces of the pulp and paper companies, and the Asbestos-Talc Products of Washington, Inc., at Burlington, which has been mining and dry-grinding a soft serpentine for the structural filler and insulation trade. Many prospects have been opened in the northern part of the state on both sides of the Cascade Mountains, and these activities undoubtedly are the forerunner of an industry that promises to attain considerable magnitude in the North Pacific States. At the present time, talc is imported from California for use as paper filler, and soapstone block from Virginia for use in the soda-recovery furnaces. A small market has been created locally for tailor and foundry:, pencils, stove grills, and block soapstone for art objects. The results of the present study, as yet incomplete, indicate that the use as a refractory and as a ceramic filler and flux can be expanded.

Jan 1, 1936

By D. G. Sinclair

IN surveying the changes that have taken place in the mining industry of Ontario in the past ten years, the striking growth of the gold mining industry first attracts attention. In 1925 there were only twelve regularly producing gold mines in the Province, six of which were located in the Porcupine area, four at Kirkland Lake, and one each at Larder Lake and Boston Creek. In contrast with this, the year that has just closed (1935) has seen production on a steady basis from forty mines, with what may be termed spasmodic production from twelve other properties. This so-called spasmodic production is, however, responsible for the recovery of gold to an estimated value of between $75,000 and $100,000 during the year. Further illustrating the expansion in the gold mining group is the activity in the exploration and development of properties. In 1925, mining operations were conducted at 29 properties which had not reached production, while in 1935 work of this nature was carried on at 87 such properties. It is of interest to note that of the six properties listed as producers in Porcupine ten years ago, five are still producing at rates considerably in excess of the tonnages handled at that time. In fact, the estimated tonnage treated at these mines in 1935 exceeds the 1925 tonnage by approximately half a million tons. In Kirkland Lake, the figures are still more striking. The four mines in production in that camp in 1925 milled 346,584 tons, producing bullion to the value of $5,132,128, while in 1935 these same mines treated approximately 1,643,000 tons, with a recovery of roughly $29,300,000. While Porcupine and Kirkland Lake remain the great gold-producing camps of the Province, the growing importance of the newer areas is readily appreciated when we consider that in 1935 the mills of these areas treated over 1,000,000 tons of ore for a production in excess of $7,500,000. Pro-duction from these newer districts first became of importance in 1930 with the commencement of recovery at the Howey mine, in Red Lake, and the Minto, in Michipicoten. Since 1930, eighteen new gold mills have gone into production in the Red Lake, Little Long Lac-Beardmore, Pickle Crow, Sturgeon Lake, Michipicoten, Sudbury, and Matachewan areas. In respect to silver mining, the period under review has seen a considerable slackening of activity, due to a generally unstable and depreciated price for the product and to the exhaustion of ore reserves in the mines.

Jan 1, 1936

By E. W. Pehrson

In making any canvass of secondary metals great care must be exercised to avoid duplication or exaggeration of net consumption. One of the major difficulties is to trace the metal accurately as it passes through the many cycles of manufacture. Greater or less duplication probably occurs in any canvass. The manufacturer of tin plate, for instance, purchases primary pig tin exclusively as a raw material. Most of it goes into the coating on the steel sheet, but a substantial part emerges in the form of byproducts such as scruffs and drosses. These are sold to other plants, where they are used in the manufacture of alloys and chemicals. Alloys and chemicals, however, are not necessarily articles for final consumption. The alloy may be sold in ingot form to a bearing manufacturer, who, in turn may produce some scrap, which he may sell to still' another plant that may make still other products. There is a considerable return of tin in the form of waste products from chemicals sold to the silk industry. Even tin plate does not represent an ultimate use of tin because the tin-can maker produces large amounts of clippings, which are sold to detinning plants, where the tin is recovered and used again for some other purpose. Thus the degree of duplication in consumption statistics depends on the point in the industrial cycle where consumption is measured.

Jan 1, 1936

By Robert H. Ridgway

Chromite has been produced commercially for slightly more than a century. Developed, at one time, chiefly as a chemical pigment raw material, it has subsequently found extensive application in other chemical industries - as a refractory material for furnace linings and as the sole source of the metal chromium. For some years prior to 1914, its use as a refractory predominated; but post-war development in alloy steels, principally stainless steels, enhanced the metallurgical demand in the form of ferrochrome with a consequent increase in the demand for chromite. More recently direct reduction of chromite in alloy-steel manufacture has been applied to a limited extent. Alloy steels containing varying amounts of chromium, with or without other alloying elements, now find extensive use in a ride variety of ways - in structural material, machines, industrial equipment transportation by land, sea, and air, sanitary equipment, food preservation, and a multitude of other uses. In recent years chromium plating has had wide application and has become important. industrially, but the amount of raw material consumed

Jan 1, 1936

By Henry Mulryan

THE largest and purest known deposit of diatomite is being actively mined and processed 3 ½ miles south of Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, Calif., by the Johns-Manville Products Corporation. The workings FIG. 1-LOCATION OF DIATOMITE DEPOSIT AT LOMPOC. cover 4000 acres, the depth of economically recoverable diatomite being 1000 ft. (Fig. 1). Lompoc, a community of 2500 population, is situated in the Santa Ynez River Valley 10 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. It is 44 miles

Jan 1, 1936

By E. D. Gardner

During the summer of 1935 a plan was proposed by which the Government should establish custom sampling plants for gold and silver ores in the mining districts of the West, where the construction of such plants would be justified as an unemployment relief measure. It was known that in many districts prospectors and small operators had small lots of smelting ore that could not be marketed for lack of sufficient capital to get out enough ore at a time to make carload shipments to distant smelters. Moreover, considerable ore of milling grade was available in many districts in which there were no custom milling facilities. It was felt that. accurate sampling and the classification and consolidation of small lots of ore produced from prospects and small mines, with quick cash returns to the shippers on a nonprofit basis, would stimulate the working of small gold and silver properties: Idle mines would be put to work, and there was a possibility that some of the prospects could be developed into regularly producing mines. Each sampling plant was to be centrally located so as to serve the greatest possible number of mines and prospects. Wherever possible, the plants were to be built on a railroad, is ore of smelting grade accumulated, it was to be shipped to a smelter in carload lots. Where a plant was not on a railroad, smelting ore was to be trucked to the railroad after being sampled.

Jan 1, 1936

By M. L. Fuller

MOST commercial alloys undergo changes in phase composition after casting. This is a natural result of the fact that the alloys are not in a state of phase equilibrium as cast and phase changes will therefore take place, with more or less rapidity, in an attempt to attain equilibrium. The practical aspect of aging in zinc-alloy die castings concerns the changes in physical properties and in dimensions that may accompany aging phase changes. Harmful alterations have been reduced to a minimum and zinc-alloy die castings are being produced today that are so stable with respect to dimensions and physical properties that they are entirely suitable for most practical purposes1. In the first paper' of this series, and in this paper, aging phase changes of zinc alloy die castings have been investigated and the possible influence of these changes on dimensional changes of the castings has been evalu-ated and compared with the dimensional changes actually experienced. The change of dimensions has been selected for practical comparison in these papers because the effect of phase changes on the dimensions of a casting is directly calculable; from X-ray crystal-analysis data of the phase structure. The die-casting alloys considered contain, in addition to zinc, 4 per cent of aluminum, about 0.03 per cent magnesium, and from 0 to 3 per cent of copper. It was shown in the former paper that the eutectoidal decomposition of the beta aluminum-zinc phase, while intrinsically capable of causing a considerable shrinkage, can have very little effect on the observed shrinkage of die castings because it takes place within a few days of aging, whereas the observed shrinkage continues for five weeks. It was therefore concluded that the other existing phase change,

Jan 1, 1936

By Ralph Sweetser

THE Round Table. on Qualities of Pig Iron, under the auspices of the Joint Committee on Qualities of Pig Iron, which is made up of members of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, the American Foundrymen's Association, the American Society for Testing Materials, the Gray Iron Institute, and the. Malleable Iron Institute, was held at the Palmer House, Chicago, Ill., on Oct. 1, 1935. PROCEEDINGS R. H. SWEETSER,* New York, N. Y.-Seven years ago last June we had a round table on qualities of pig iron1, and at that time the foundrymen were out with their battle-axes for the blast-furnace men, and the open-hearth men were doing the same thing. After that meeting there was really a determined effort to find out about the qualities of pig iron, and great progress has been made all along the line. This afternoon we want to have a frank discussion of the qualities of pig iron, whether it is the molten pig iron going into the steel plant, or cold pigs going to the different foundries. We ought to hear something from Dr. J. T. MacKenzie, who is chairman of the Joint Committee, and from Mr. R. E. Kennedy, the tech-nical secretary. J. T. MACKENZIE, t Birmingham, Ala.-As a result of that meeting in Chicago, there was considerable agitation in the Foundrymen's Association to develop a set of tests for pig iron. One of the difficulties was that nobody talked the same language on shrinkage, draws, live iron, dead iron, and so forth, which were the main com-plaints against pig iron. By request of a committee of the Foundrymen's Association, the Bureau of Standards ran a comprehensive set of tests that did develop the prin-ciples governing the optical pyrometer as applied to cast iron and pig iron. Then the Bureau went on further with the fluidity test, and developed a method for the absolute changes of volume at the freezing point.

Jan 1, 1936

PRIOR to the World War most of the barite used in the United States for manufacturing lithopone and barium chemicals was imported. Germany, by virtue of an abundance of high-grade ore and low labor costs, was in a position to dominate the world market. With the cessa-tion of imports and with the war demand for barium chemicals, the barium chemical industry and the mining of barite became well estab-lished in the United States. This industry has continued to expand because of the increasing use of lithopone. In 1914 the sales of domestic crude barite was 52,919 tons and in 1934 it was 209,850 tons. Barite deposits of economic importance occur in at least 20 states, but the principal producers in 1934 were Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia, California and Arizona. The main mining centers are located near the crude barite markets of the three principal marketing districts-the Pacific Coast, the Midwestern area, and the Eastern area. The Pacific Coast is supplied entirely by California, Nevada, and Arizona. The Midwestern area uses most of the Missouri crude and a small amount from the southern states. The eastern market is the chief competitive area. Practically all of the imported crude is marketed there; also the bulk of the southern crude and ground barite. In addition, this area absorbs a small part of the Missouri crude and 80 per cent of the ground barite. Besides the advantage of low delivered costs and purity of product, the imported barite has commanded a price differential because it is soft rather than hard, like many of the domestic ores. The inherent physical properties of the southern ores remain, but the purity can be controlled to a great extent by beneficiation. Simple washing or gravity concentra-tion has sufficed in the past, but in many cases a more efficient process now becomes imperative to remove impurities not amenable to these methods. Certain deposits now being opened are of lower grade and require more precise milling conditions. In some ores, the kind of impurities has changed as the mining advanced.

Jan 1, 1936

By James Terry Duce

In order to facilitate interpretation of the data in this chapter, we print the following excerpts from circulars to authors, compiled by Mr. Frank A. Herald when he was Vice Chairman for Production of the Petroleurn Division: Generally in Table 1 the unit for presentation of data is a field. For our purposes a field is defined as the whole of a surface area wherein productive, locations are continuous. Such unit commonly includes and surrounds nonproductive areas. Such unit commonly includes a great variety of geologic conditions-—several units of continuous productive reservoirs of distinctly different structure and of distinctly different stratigraphy. Therefore it is hoped that our authors will subdivide "field" so as to enable students to make analyses that may have scientific and/or commercial value. As to each space in the tabulation, it is either (1) not applicable, (2) the proper entry is not determinable, (3) the proper entry is determinable, but not determinable from data available to the author, (4) the proper entry is determinable by the author. In spaces not applicable, the author will please draw horizontal lines; in spaces where the proper entries are not determinable, the author will please insert 2; in spaces where the proper entries are determinable but not determinable from data available to the author, the author will please insert y; in spaces where the proper entries are deter-minable by the author he will, of course, make such entries. Generally, y implies a hope that in some future year a definite figure will be available. Inability to determine precisely the correct entry for a particular space should not lead the author to insert merely y. Contributions of great value may be made by the author in many cases where entries are not subject to precise determination. In such cases the author should use his good judgment and make the best entry possible under the circumstances. For many spaces, the correct entries represent the opinion of the author (for example, "Area Proved") and in such cases the entries need not be hedged to such extent as in cases where the quantities are definite yet can be ascertained only approximately by the author. In cases under definite headings but where figures are only approximate, the author may use 2. For example, if the total production of a field is known to be between 1,800,000 and 1,850,000, the author may report 1,8xx,xxx; or if the production is between 1,850,000 and 1,900,000, the author may report 1,9xx,xxx. Where a numeral is immediately to the left of x or y, such numeral represents the nearest known number in that position. As to quantity of gas produced from many fields the question will arise as to whether the figures should include merely the gas marketed or should include also estimates of gas used in operations and gas wasted. Although rough approximations may be involved, our figures should represent as nearly as possible the total quantity of gas removed from the reservoir.

Jan 1, 1936

The art of flotation may be divided into two distinct branches, namely:-1. Collective flotation.2. Selective flotation.(1) Collective flotation is applied when all the valuable minerals in an ore are required in one concentrate, leaving ,only gangue minerals in the tailing. The method is applicable, for instance, to such ores as auriferous copper sulphides associated with gangue minerals only, or to silver lead ores low enough in zinc and other valuable minerals.(2) Selective flotation is applied when there are present in an ore two or more valuable sulphides, which cannot be subsequently efficiently treated unless they are separated from one another as well as from the gangue. For example, a silver-Iead-zinc ore, or a copper-gold-iron ore; where the iron is not required with the copper gold concentrate.In order to make these operations practicable chemical reagents have been developed, having power to exert definite actions on the various minerals when brought into contact with them in a water pulp.COLLECTIVE FLOTATION.In order to bring about collective flotation it is generally necessary to add to the pulp a frothing agent and an activator or activators for all the minerals which it is desired to float.SELECTIVE FLOTATION.The object of selective flotation is to activate the mineral which is to be floated, and at the same time to prevent all other minerals from floating.

Jan 1, 1936

By Alden Greninger

TWINNED metal crystals are usually designated as either deformation twins or annealing twins. If twins are to be classified according to the treatment the metal has undergone just prior to the obser vation of the twins, there are two other possible groups: (1) solidification twins,? when observed in the as-solidified or as-cast condition, and (2) transformation twins, ? when observed in a metal which has been cooled from above an allotropic transformation temperature. McKeehan has demonstrated that ferrite does, occasionally at least, contain twinned structures2. The twins, which he studied by optical methods, were obtained during the preparation of iron single crystals by very slow cooling through A3. He proved that the twin relation was actually that which previous investigators had predicted; namely, twinning along three planes of the form {112}. Since McKeehan's discovery, little or no attention has-been given to this transformation twinning of alpha iron, or to the possibility that it might occur at all speeds of cooling from above A3 instead of merely during the prepara-tion of single crystals. McKeehan's twins were evidently regarded as interesting only in proving that a body-centered cubic metal could form twinned structures-at least under certain conditions. It is generally believed that iron seldom if ever forms annealing twins. Certainly the straight-line banding which is so abundant in annealed face-centered cubic metals is characteristically absent in iron annealed below A3. However, O'Neill3. has studied "twin-like" crystals in annealed alpha iron and concludes that the specimen he studied actually

Jan 1, 1936

By Walter Miller

Any annual review of engineering progress in petroleum refining must of necessity include many features mentioned in earlier reviews. Advances do not spring mushroom fashion to wide acceptance overnight, but rather resemble rolling snowballs, gathering size and velocity as they progress. The new ideas of one year develop through the course of scattered adoption and testing during following years, to be ultimately discarded or to become an integral part of refinery engineering and operation. Polymerization and Cracking As an illustration, the publicity given to the polymerization and cracking of petroleum gases during the year has given many the impression that this is a new art. But patent and technical literature have disclosed active work on the problem dating back a decade or more and a unit capable of making 100 bbl. a day of polymer gasoline was constructed as early as 1930. Important strides have been made during 1935 looking to the more general commercialization of available processes, and some four important groups are furthering this work. In addition to the production of liquid products for inclusion as a constituent of commercial motor fuel, polymerization has also been a factor leading to the installation of a plant at the Houston refinery of The Shell Petroleum Corporation for manufacturing isooctane for aviation use, by making available dibutylene for catalytic hydrogenation Polymerization is not confined to unsaturated hydrocarbon gases as a source of raw material, and has been extended to include a preliminary decomposition of normal saturated gases under suitable heat and pressure conditions into the unsaturated types, which can then be used as raw material for the polymerization process. Thus there is opened up the possibility of eventually using large quantities of natural gas in the manufacture of high-grade motor fuels, although the early commercial growth will be largely on cracking still gases for economic reasons. Such utilization will result in a somewhat lowered drain on crude-oil reserves and a partial elimination of the

Jan 1, 1936