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By F. S. Norcross

DEVELOPMENT of the manganese deposits of Cuba is a matter of importance not only to those involved in this industry on the Island but to the United States steel industry and to our Nation as a whole. For years our domestic resources of manganese have been wholly inadequate, but the recent Cuban development points the way toward solution of this strategic mineral problem.

Jan 1, 1939

By Charles Catlett

The terms " developed " and " undeveloped " are necessarily relative and cover a wide range; but the latter is here applied to cases in which the information at hand falls short of a clear demonstration of values, and conclusions must be reached frorn a study of the geological conditions of the particular deposit, interpreted in the light of similar and closely-related deposits. Such an inquiry might be characterized as an effort to reach reliable conclusions from insufficient data. But the engineer

Jan 1, 1909

By H. W. Paxton, C. C. Busby

IT has been shown previously' that strain aging can markedly improve the tensile properties of low carbon martensites, especially the yield-tensile ratio, without seriously affecting the ductility. In view of interest in high strength steels, an investigation has been made of the effect of strain aging following tension or rolling on the tensile properties of A1S1 4340 in an attempt to obtain a tensile

Jan 1, 1957

By Leonard Greenburg, William B. Harris, Gustäv Werner

HAULAGE in tunneling operations generally has been done with electric locomotives. As a rule, on short hauls the source of electricity is a storage battery mounted on the locomotive, which, of course, must be removed and recharged periodically. Where the distance from the recharging point to the tunnel face is very long, and where loads are heavy, trolley-driven locomotives are used. Diesel engines have been used in mining and tunneling operations in Europe for a number of years. The recent reports of studies in Belgium1 and by the Bureau of Mines in this country2-4 have indicated the potentialities of this form of power for haulage, mucking, bulldozing and many other underground operations. The hazards attending the use of Diesel engines in more or less closed spaces have long been known. The exhaust constituents that may create a harmful or objectionable environment are carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur, carbon dioxide, aldehydes and smoke. Lack of precise information regarding the concentration of these gases and the ventilation requirements to reduce them to safe levels has to some extent suppressed their general acceptance in tunneling and mining work. Not until the work of the Bureau of Mines referred to above, and certain experience gained in the construction of the Delaware Aqueduct,‡ has there been available the requisite information regarding the conditions under which their use may be permitted. This paper concerns itself with the successful operation of Diesel engines underground in the construction of certain parts of the Delaware Aqueduct, and describes the conditions under which Diesel engines have been found to operate with a minimum production of noxious gases. The test data reported were obtained during the operation of Diesel engines over a period of two years.* STUDIES BY THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Exhaustive tests were made by the Division of Industrial Hygiene, of the composition of the exhaust gases given off by a Diesel engine mounted on. a test block. These tests showed that certain quantities of the gases are discharged from the exhaust. On the basis of these figures, preliminary requirements of design and control

Jan 1, 1942

By Eric A. Nordhausen

A good deal of dialogue has been published and voiced concerning one mining regulation or another, that, according to those raising the issues, in effect shuts down or drastically reduces mine and/or mill reduction. The objective of this discussion is to there fore synthesize the various regulations affecting the uranium mining industry and attempt to realistically assess the extent of impact to yellowcake production - on both an individual and collective basis. Emphasis is placed on the later or newer permitting requirements under the Mill Tailings Act, Underground Injection Control Program, the Consolidated Permit Program, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RcRA).

Jan 1, 1980

By William I. Watson

Problems encountered in beneficiating mineral raw materials become increasingly difficult as there is a shift to lower grade and more complex raw materials, and because of the economic need to strive for ever higher recoveries, higher grade products, and lower processing costs. Methods of attacking the many problems should include not only the familiar chemical and physical tests and equipment, but such techniques as X-ray analysis, infra-red analysis, differential thermal analysis, and the use of electron and X-ray microscopes. Many people in the mineral-treating field are unfamiliar with these newer methods and techniques. The differential thermal analysis method, in particular, does not seem to be very well known, even though it offers interesting possibilities in the study of many ore treatment problems.

Jan 7, 1959

By O. O. Laudig

It is a well-established fact that some ores do not reduce as readily in the furnace as others, thus seriously affecting out-put, and consequently, cost of product. With the object of obtain ing some information upon this subject, the following experi ments were made in the laboratory of the Buffalo Furnace Company. Efforts were made to obtain, as nearly as possible, represent ative ores from some of the most important mining districts in the United States. The ores received were from the Mesabi, Marquette, Gogebic, Menominee and Vermilion ranges of the Lake Superior district and from Southwest Virginia. Requests

Jan 1, 1897

Jan 9, 1951

By H. J. Ramey

Conventional calculation of total system isothermal compressibility for a system containing a free gas phase involves, among other things, evaluation of the change of oil and gas formation volume factors and the gas in solution with pressure. Preferably, this information should be obtained from laboratory measurements made with particular oils and gases. Often, experimental measurements are not available. In this case, it is necessary to obtain pressure-volume-temperature relationships from general correlations such as those of Standing' for California oils. In order to speed estimates of compressibility, generalized plots have been prepared of the change of both oil formation volume factors and gas in solution, with pressure from Standing's correlations. A generalized plot for estimating the change in the two-phase (oil and gas) formation volume factor with pressure is also presented. Usually, the effect of gas dissolved in reservoir water upon the total system compressibility is neglected for gas saturated systems, due to the low solubility of gas in water. Results of this study indicate that the increase in total system compressibility caused by solution of gas in water is often as large as the compressibility of wafer, and can be magnitudes larger for low pressure systems. Generalized results for estimating the change of gas in solution in water with pressure are presented in tabular and graphical form. INTRODUCTION During the past decade, pressure build-up and drawdown techniques have gained an important place in reservoir engineering. Build-up and drawdown analyses are only two special applications of the broad field of transient fluid-flow theory. All solutions of transient fluid-flow problems contain a parameter called the total system isothermal compressibility. This property of fluids and porous rock is a measure of the change in volume of the fluid content of porous rock with a change in pressure, and it may vary considerably with pressure. Evaluation of total system isothermal compressibility is not difficult, but it is tedious and time-consuming. Often compressibilities are estimated roughly, or transient flow methods are neglected completely. The benefits of using accurate system compressibility in properly-executed build-up or drawdown analyses are: 1. Better planning of pressure build-ups may be achieved to avoid unnecessary loss of revenue due to excessively long shut-in periods, or to shut-in periods too short to yield useable data. 2. Better and more reliable estimates of static formation pressures for reserves estimates and rate performance estimates. 3. Reliable information for evaluation of well completion effectiveness, and planning and interpretation of well stimulation efforts. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the nature of the total system isothermal compressibility, and to present useful methods for estimation of compressibility, particularly for systems containing a gas phase. DEVELOPMENT Numerous publications have presented solutions to transient single-phase flow of slightly compressible fluids, stressing pressure build-up applications. In transient flow, a compressibility* term arises to permit volume content of fluids in porous rock to change as pressure changes. The basic nature of the compressibility term is usually taken for granted. Problems arise in practical applications of transient fluid theory because most published works consider only one flowing fluid—in an ideal porous system containing only one fluid. In 1956, Perrine2 presented an intuitive extension of single-phase flow pressure build-up methods to multiphase flow conditions. Later, Martin- established conditions under which Perrine's multiphase build-up method had a theoretical foundation. Perrine has shown that improper use of single-phase build-up analysis in certain multiphase flow situations can lead to gross errors in estimated static formation pressure, permeability and well condition. It is likely that, much pressure build-up data for oil wells should be analyzed on the basis of multiphase flow. For both single-phase and multiphase build-up analysis, the isothermal compressibility term in dimensionless time groups often should be interpreted as the total system compressibility. All real reservoirs contain one or more compressible fluid phases. In addition, rock compressibility can contribute in an important way to the total system compressibility. The proper total system compressibility expression may contain terms for compressibility of oil, gas, water, reservoir rock and terms for the change of solubility of gas in liquid phases.

Jan 1, 1965

By Frank C. Kelton

A method is outlined for the analysis of large cores, developed primarily for the purpose of obtaining reliable data on fractured or vugular limestones. Porosity and fluid saturations are determined by a modified Dean-Stark extraction after initially bringing the samples to 100 per cent liquid saturation by a vacuum-pressure method. Horizontal permeabilities on the whole samples are determined in two directions, parallel and perpendicular to the di-rection of principal fracturing. Results are presented for various types of formations. A comparison is made between data obtained by this special method and the method of conventional analysis, and discussion is given of the relative advantages and limitations of each. In view of this comparison a modified method for the analysis of fractured and vugular formations is proposed, which method retains the advantages of the previously outlined techniques but gives promise of speeding up the analysis. INTRODUCTION For many years the greater part of the production in the Permian Basin was from formations of Permian and Pennsylvanian age. While production from these formations is still the predominant production. deeper prospecting has brought to light older formations with oil productive characteristics. Attempts to core these deeper horizons were at first usually characterized by poor recovery. The old rule of thumb, "good core recovery — poor well" was originated and remained in effect until recently. With the advent of diamond coring and the increased efficiency in drilling and coring operations. the old adage has lost its significance. Formations of Devonian. Silurian and Ordo-vician ages were successfully cored with varying degrees of recovery. The cores thus obtained were surprising and in some case; disappointing. Good recovery from these formations led to speculation as to the feasibility of analysis and the meaning of data obtained from conventional analysis. Commercial laboratories were engaged to analyze these cores. and their results indicated that data obtained by conventional methods would be of little value. From visual inspection it was apparent that in many cases the effective porosity for storage of hydrocarbons. and permeability. were contained largely in fractures and solution cavities rather than in the primary crystalline structure of the formation. In other cases the solution cavities augmented the effective porosity of the primary crystalline structure, or fractures enhanced the permeabiilty of the latter so that the formation might respond favorably to acidization and become commercially productive. Since the spacing of the cavities and fractures was often comparable to the core diameter, it was evident that the entire core should he analyzed instead of small fragments. On the basis of these observations, commercial laboratories were requested to devise a system of analysis which would yield data of practical value. Pro- cedures have accordingly been developed which seem to meet this requirement, and to date nearly 12,000 large core samples have been analyzed. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the methods used, to present typical results for several fractured formations and to compare the data obtained by this special analysis with that obtained by conventional analysis. Certain modifications and alternative procedures are finally suggested to speed up the analysis. CORE ANALYSIS PROCEDURE Fluid Saturations and Porosity The core sample, in segments up to 15 in. in length. is marked, weighed and examined under ultra-violet light to determine the presence of oil saturation. If present, the approximate quantity of oil and its location on intercrystalline, fracture or vugular surfaces is noted. This information is carefully recorded. The degree of fracturing and/or vugular development is also noted. The sample is then placed in a pressure cell and the air evacuated with a high speed vacuum pump. This evacuation is continued only long enough to reduce the pressure to approximately the vapor pressure of water in order not to remove excessive amounts of water. Water is admitted to the cell and allowed to penetrate the sample under atmospheric pressure, filling the pore space initially occupied by air and replacing the small amount of water removed by evacuation. Pressure up to 200 psi is applied to force water into the smaller capillaries, and the sample is left sub-

Jan 1, 1950

By Carel Robinson

MECHANIZATION of coal mine, is radically changing the requirements for under-ground transportation. It has increased materially the need for reliability and belt conveyors are the most dependable means of moving coal away from the place where it is mined. Their record of freedom from delays is almost 100 per cent. Why then are- not belt conveyors in more general use. Part of the answer lies in the pour records made at some of the earlier installations, and in the fact that belts have so long been identified as a type of equipment suitable, in the main, only to thin seams. Another reason is lack of knowledge of the full potentialities of belt transportation.

Jan 1, 1941

By Y. C. Kim, I. K. Chopra, F. Martino

This paper reviews geostatistical work in a coal deposit performed jointly by the University of Arizona and the Homer City Owners. The study objective was to Predict more accurately the inseam sulfur values of the deposit for the purpose of future emission control. Based on initially available 112 DDH information, variogram models were developed for sulfur, ash, and thickness for the entire deposit. The deposit was then kriged using 333 m x 333 m panel size. Kriging produced better results than conventional isopachs. The estimation variance information obtainable from geostatistics was then used to improve development drilling activities that were underway. This effort was successful. Up-to-date experience on the use of conditional simulation of the deposit appears promising for future emission control strategy development

Jan 1, 1982

By H. C. George

IN 1901, the United States produced 69 million barrels of crude oil, which was 41.4 per cent of the world production. By 1931, these figures were 850 million barrels and 62.1 per cent respectively, showing over this period of thirty years an increase in the world production of 718 per cent. Over this same period, the increase in the demand for technically trained men in the industry was much greater than the increase in crude-oil production. This was because much of the increase in production was secured by the application of geology and physics to the finding of new oil fields and by .the development of engineering methods and equipment incident to drilling and producing from much greater .depths.

Jan 1, 1934

By J. O. Betterton, W. K. Noyce

I~JTI HE work on the indium-zirconium system is part A of a larger investigation of zirconium-phase diagrams with solute elements, silver, cadmium, indium, tin, and antimony, which is intended to provide information about the metallic valency of zirconium. The system is an ideal example since the sizes of indium and zirconium atoms are nearly the same, and the solute and the solvent occur in the same row of the periodic table. The only solute from Group III B which had previously been added to zirconium was aluminum' and it was of interest to determine whether indium would dissolve appreciably in alpha zirconium and stabilize this phase in the same manner. Experimental Procedure The experimental methods used in the indium-zirconium work are similar to those described earlier for the silver-zirconium system.' Reactor Grade 1 iodide zirconium of 99.95 pct purity* and indium of 99.99 pct purity were arc cast, and then annealed in silica capsules with protective foils of zirconium and molybdenum. Annealing temperatures and times varied from 1 day at 1300°C to 43 days at 550°C. The compositions of the alloys were detcrmined by an individual chemical analysis of the actual metallographic specimens after two or more sides were examined to insure the absence of solute segregation. Calibrated thermocouples were used throughout, and the uncertainty in the temperatures reported, owing to calibration error, furnace control, and measurement of the small temperature gradients near the capsules, is believed to be well within ±2°C. Typical impurities in the alloys were found by a neutron-activation analysis of four different alloys. The results are given in Table I where the ranges of values will be seen to compare favorably with the usual values for iodide zirconium. With respect to oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon the absence of any unusual amount of these elements compared to iodide zirconium was indicated by the alloy hardness values, since hardness is increased sharply by the presence of these elements. The value for 0 pct In, obtained from the alloys by extrapolation, is 58 2 7 VPN which is in the low part3 f the normal range of hardness found in iodide zirconium. Results of the Experiments The zirconium-rich portion of the indium-zirconium phase diagram from the annealing experiments is shown in Fig. 1. Indium was found to

Jan 1, 1959

By H. R. Peterson, G. J. Lipovetz, W. F. McDermott

One of the major improvements in ore grinding economics in North America has been the introduction of autogenous grinding. Pickands Mather & Co. has been active in the development of autogenous grinding since 1957. This early work led to the application of autogenous grinding to the Wabush mines ore in 1965, with the installation of six 24 ft diam by 8 ft long, 1750-hp mills. Development work recently completed in 1971 on another ore has led to the decision to install five 36 x 15-ft, 12,000-hp mills when this project goes ahead. Between these two decisions lies a tremendous amount of research, development and application of autogenous grinding to a variety of ores. The Pickands Mather Metallurgical and Research Laboratory in Hibbing, Minn., has tested ores from 9 different deposits in its pi- lot plant facility. Some of these deposits have as much difference within their own ore types as there is between the various deposits. Therefore, it is safe to say that over twenty different ore types have been tested and flowsheets developed for commercial applications. Of the nine projects, three are in operation. These are Wabush mines in Labrador, Canada,' Savage River mines in Tasmania,' and The Griffith mine in Red Lake, Ont., Canada.'

Jan 11, 1972

By B. M. Blake, R. S. Reppert, A. F. Keiser, E. J. Trinkle

The southern West Virginia coalfield was formed in a rapidly subsiding depositional basin associated with deep-seated growth faults. Subsidence began to the southeast during deposition of the Pocahontas Formation, and then shifted to the northwest during deposition of the New River, Kanawha, and Allegheny Formations. Rocks of all the coal-bearing formations grade into massive sandstones to the northwest. For the No. 3 Pocahontas, Sewell, Campbells Creek, and No. 5 Block coals discussed in this study, the overall sulfur and ash values of each coal seam increase gradually toward the northwest. The thickness of each coal tends to increase toward the southeast. These trends are partly a reflection of the differential subsidence of the coal basin along with varying degrees of peat accumulation and degradation. The northwest side of the coal swamps underwent relatively less subsidence and, thus, more degradation due to increased aerial exposure, with a resulting increase in the sulfur and ash values of the coals, and a decrease in the thickness. The open sea existed to the west of the coal swamps, and this marine environment also contributed to the higher sulfur values to the northwest. Coals of the Pottsville Group in the southern West Virginia coalfield generally have sulfur values between 0.6-1.0% with some as high as 2-3% on the northwest edge of the coal basin.

Jan 1, 1983

By Henry M. Howe

The natural effect of large ingot-size should be to increase segregation. I have previously pointed1 to the excessive segregation in many large ingots as tending to confirm this, but I have shown that in case of ingots less than 16 in. square this expected effect of ingot-size is liable to masked by that of Note.—The "maximum enrichment" of each ingot, i.e., the excess of the richest spot over the average of the whole ingot, is first calculated in percentage of that average. The average of the maximum enrichment of the several ingots of a given group is the abscissa in Fig. 1. The number beside each spot tells the number of cases which that spot represents. FIG. 1.—Influence of Ingot-Size on Maximum EnrichNent in Steel Ingots. other variables. Under these conditions we should expect that, if large ingot-size really does tend to increase segregation, this effect would be shown by taking the average of large numbers of cases, so that the effects of these other variables might off-set and cancel each other.

Jan 1, 1910

By Alfred W. Gauger, George A. Burrell

The senior author of this paper, while in Colorado on other official business, made a trip to the Cripple Creek gold-mining district to get more data than are at present available regarding the composition of the gas that issues from the rock into the mines of the district. This was done at the suggestion of George S. Rice, Chief Mining Engineer of the Bureau of Mines. There are -many questions of interest and importance in connection with the ventilation of the mines in the Cripple Creek district, such as the menace to life and mining of a suffocating gas entering the mines from the rock, the danger due to powder smoke (from blasting operations), and danger of continued inhalation of rock dust by the miners. This report confines itself to the first problem, the gas from the rock, and principally to one phase of this question, the composition of the gas and its effects on men and lights. A more thorough study of this and other ventilation problems is planned. That the rock gas is a real menace is shown by the fact that miners (variously estimated from 25 to 50 by different persons interviewed) have been killed by it in the 25 years that mining has been vigorously carried on at Cripple Creek. Many men have had narrow escapes from death, some of them having been incapacitated for days. In addition, much loss of time results because at certain periods of the year or on certain days it is impossible to enter some workings. At a few mines, fans force air into the workings, thus supplementing the natural ventilation and much improving conditions, but the improvement is not entirely adequate at all times. Origin of the Gas Lindgren and Ransome1 think that the gas found in the rocks of the Cripple Creek mining district represents the last exhalations of the ex-

Jan 1, 1917

By Frederic Dewey

IT IS common to blame irregular assay results upon volatilization and much has been written upon the subject, but there is no. real evidence that, in a properly conducted assay, the loss of either gold or silver by volatilization is sufficient to affect appreciably the result, even when, arsenic or antimony may be present. Bulk assays of flue dust from assay muffles have been published, but the data given are totally insufficient to even approximate the volatilization from a single assay; and such figures as we have indicate the volatilization to be extremely small. Diligent search in the literature and wide inquiry among assayers and instructors have failed to produce a single case where the litharge volatilized in making an assay has been collected and assayed for gold and silver. Having attempted to do this, with most indifferent success, I am not surprised that this has not been done. While various textbooks give volatilization as a cause of loss in cupellation, it may safely be said that in the rare cases where this volatilization is sufficient to affect appreciably the result it is due to excessive temperature. Percy1 says "The loss of silver by volatilization during cupellation is very slight (unless the temperature has been much too high), and may be disregarded." This statement is repeated by the Beringers2 and Smith,3 who includes gold with silver. Mitchell4 says the litharge fume rarely contains over one ten-thousandth of silver. Campredon5 says that at a proper temperature no silver is lost by volatilization.

Jan 2, 1920

By H. P. Willard, Conrad Martin

SINCE the deposits were found in 1927 in the Paradise Range of western Nevada, more than 1 mil- lion tons of magnesite and half a million tons of brucite have been mined and processed into a variety of granular refractory materials used as furnace linings by the steel industry. An additional million tons of magnesite were used during World War II to produce magnesium metal, and some magnesium oxide from the area is going into magnesia cements. Located near Gabbs, Nev., on the west flank of the Paradise Range, the principal bodies occupy an area a mile long by half a mile wide, and lesser occurrences have been found in a belt more than four miles long and in places almost two miles wide. Magnesite reserves containing less than 5 pct lime are estimated at more than 25 million tons. Reserves of better grade material are considerably less.

Jan 4, 1957