Search Documents

By George Watkin Evans

The need for mechanization in coal mining wherever it can be successfully introduced is evident when we take into account the fact that during recent years the coal-mine employee's wages have increased and his hours have been shortened. Coal is no longer King, and a brief study of statistics covering the production of coal, petroleum and natural gas and the development of water power will convince anyone that coal has had very powerful competitors during the past 10 years. Petroleum production in the United States between 1918 and 1936 increased from 100 per cent to 309 per cent. Water power increased from 100 per cent in 1918 to 270 per cent in 1936. Bituminous coal slipped from 100 per cent in 1918 to 75 per cent in 1936. The anthracite industry slipped from 100 per cent in 1918 to 50 per cent in 1932, but climbed to 55 per cent in 1936. In 1918, the State of Washington produced a little over four million tons of coal and the production of California oil, at that time, was a little less than one hundred million barrels per year. By 1929 the production of California oil had increased to a little over 292,000,000 bbl. or nearly 300 per cent as compared with 1918. By 1934 the production of coal in the state of Washington had dropped to about 1 1/3 millions of tons per year. Our neighbors in British Columbia had their coal production reduced from a little over 2 1/2 million tons in 1920 to less than 1 1/3 million in 1933. The North western Improvement Co., a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific Railroad Co., owns coal properties in various parts of Washington and Montana. The Northern Pacific is one of the very few railroads using any considerable quantity of coal in its operations. Practically all of the American railroads in the Pacific Northwest, except the Northern Pacific, are using cheap California fuel oil or electricity. This problem, of course, is not a new one in coal mining, and all of the progressive coal companies in the country have tried to meet competition from an overproduction of petroleum and an overproduction of natural gas as well as enlarged developments of hydroelectric plants.

Jan 1, 1938

By Richard M. Foose

WOULD you like to find a large new ore deposit next year? The answer is as obvious as the question is foolish. But perhaps the question does have some merit if we alter it slightly and ask: What are you doing about finding new ore? This one is more difficult to answer. Possibly you are doing nothing about finding new ore because you have proved reserves for many future years of production. Others may be investing some small percentage of time, effort, and money in mineral exploration, and reserves may be currently adequate, or inadequate, in terms of many future productive years. Still others may be engaged in large-scale mineral exploration programs involving large expenditures of time, personnel effort, and money. In whatever category you may be, a final question might well be asked. Is your current mineral exploration program, or lack of program, consistent with the long-range needs and objectives of your organization and of the mining industry as a whole, and is it designed to stimulate the growth of the industry in future years, or is it only a short-range program in response to some current situation?

Jan 3, 1958

By David R. Mitchell

This paper is limited primarily to a description of dry coal-cleaning processes in which air currents are used to effectuate a separation between coal and refuse. Processes depending mainly on differences in the coefficient of friction, resilience and shape are not described unless the use of air is necessary for the proper functioning of the process. The air cleaning of coal is of primary importance to the coal industry of the United States. From figures presented in the 1941 edition Mechannual, it is estimated that at least 12 million tons of bituminous coal was cleaned in the United States during 1940 by machines using air as the separating medium. One of the current problems confronting the coal-preparation engineer is the dry cleaning of small sizes and slacks. Progress in machine development for the cleaning of small sizes has been slow in recent years in the United States of America; it has been much more rapid in Britain and on the European continent. This paper does not attempt an exhaustive survey of all these developments, and only machines and processes that have found considerable commercial application are cited. Further, no critical analysis has been made of the theory involved in the separation of coal from refuse by processes using air as the separating medium other than that necessary for an understanding of particular machine designs and applications. The possibility of using air for the separation of coal from refuse was recognized early by mining men and many attempts were made to develop commercial machines. The ingenuity of the early experimenters is to be marveled at in view of their lack of knowledge of the theoretical principles involved. As in other arts, practice has largely preceded theory. Yet, science and practice play a game of leap frog, now one ahead, then the other; the careful experimenmenter governs his efforts along practical lines by adapting his experiments to the limits prescribed by scientific laws. By first studying developments and the theory involved, it is not only possible to adapt processes to new uses but also to reduce materially operating cost and to build larger units without costly failures. Although many inventors have applied for patents for separating minerals by the use of air currents, the literature in regard to coal is meager. Berrisford2 describes briefly some of the early attempts to clean coal without the use of water. Several of the examples cited by him are reproduced herein. Fig. I shows a machine used for grinding and; izing, in which rollers running in a pan with a perforated bottom and fan opening on the side crushed the coal, which was then carried by the air currents to a settling chamber. The heaviest particles dropped out first and the light ones farthest away, as shown. In the year 1864, a machine was made that could be used as a sizer or to separate dirt from coal with a sized feed (Fig. 2).

Jan 1, 1942

By David R. Mitchell

This paper is limited primarily to a description of dry coal-cleaning processes in which air currents are used to effectuate a separation between coal and refuse. Processes depending mainly on differences in the coefficient of friction, resilience and shape are not described unless the use of air is necessary for the proper functioning of the process. The air cleaning of coal is of primary importance to the coal industry of the United States. From figures presented in the 1941 edition Mechannual, it is estimated that at least 12 million tons of bituminous coal was cleaned in the United States during 1940 by machines using air as the separating medium. One of the current problems confronting the coal-preparation engineer is the dry cleaning of small sizes and slacks. Progress in machine development for the cleaning of small sizes has been slow in recent years in the United States of America; it has been much more rapid in Britain and on the European continent. This paper does not attempt an exhaustive survey of all these developments, and only machines and processes that have found considerable commercial application are cited. Further, no critical analysis has been made of the theory involved in the separation of coal from refuse by processes using air as the separating medium other than that necessary for an understanding of particular machine designs and applications. The possibility of using air for the separation of coal from refuse was recognized early by mining men and many attempts were made to develop commercial machines. The ingenuity of the early experimenters is to be marveled at in view of their lack of knowledge of the theoretical principles involved. As in other arts, practice has largely preceded theory. Yet, science and practice play a game of leap frog, now one ahead, then the other; the careful experimenmenter governs his efforts along practical lines by adapting his experiments to the limits prescribed by scientific laws. By first studying developments and the theory involved, it is not only possible to adapt processes to new uses but also to reduce materially operating cost and to build larger units without costly failures. Although many inventors have applied for patents for separating minerals by the use of air currents, the literature in regard to coal is meager. Berrisford2 describes briefly some of the early attempts to clean coal without the use of water. Several of the examples cited by him are reproduced herein. Fig. I shows a machine used for grinding and; izing, in which rollers running in a pan with a perforated bottom and fan opening on the side crushed the coal, which was then carried by the air currents to a settling chamber. The heaviest particles dropped out first and the light ones farthest away, as shown. In the year 1864, a machine was made that could be used as a sizer or to separate dirt from coal with a sized feed (Fig. 2).

Jan 1, 1942

By David R. Mitchell

THIS paper is limited primarily to a description of dry coal-cleaning processes in which air currents are used to effectuate a separation between coal and refuse. Processes depending mainly on differences in the coefficient of friction, resilience and shape are not described unless the use of air is necessary for the proper functioning of the process. The air cleaning of coal is of primary importance to the coal industry of the United States. From figures presented in the 1941 edition Mechannual,1 it is estimated that at least 12 million tons of bituminous coal was cleaned in the United States during 1940 by machines using air as the separating medium. One of the current problems confronting the coal-preparation engineer is the dry cleaning of small sizes and slacks. Progress in machine development for the cleaning of small sizes has been slow in recent years in the United States of America; it has been much more rapid in Britain and on the European continent. This paper does not attempt an exhaustive survey of all these developments, and only machines and processes that have found considerable commercial application are cited. Further, no critical analysis has been made of the theory involved in the separation of coal from refuse by processes using air as the separating medium other than that necessary for an understanding of particular machine designs and applications. HISTORICAL SUMMARY The possibility of using air for the separation of coal from refuse was recognized early by mining men and many attempts were made to develop commercial machines. The ingenuity of the early experimenters is to be marveled at in view of their lack of knowledge of the theoretical principles involved. As in other arts, practice has largely preceded theory. Yet, science and practice play a game of leap frog, now one ahead, then the other; the careful experimenter governs his efforts along practical lines by adapting his experiments to the limits prescribed by scientific laws. By first studying developments and the theory involved, it is not only possible to adapt processes to new uses but also to reduce materially operating cost and to build larger units without costly failures. Although many inventors have applied for patents for separating minerals by the use of air currents, the literature in regard to coal is meager. Berrisford2 describes briefly some of the early attempts to clean coal without the use of water. Several of the examples cited by him are reproduced herein. Fig. I shows a machine used for grinding and sizing, in which rollers running in a pan with a perforated bottom and fan opening on the side crushed the coal, which was then carried by the air currents to a settling chamber. The heaviest particles dropped out first and the light ones farthest away, as shown. In the year 1864, a machine was made that could be used as a sizer or to separate dirt from coal with a sized feed (Fig. 2).

Jan 1, 1942

By R. H. Jacoby, V. J. Berry

When dry gas is injected into a reservoir containing a volatile crude oil, a significant amount of the reservoir liquid phase may become vaporized. The resultant rich gas phase, when subsequently produced, con-tributes to tank oil production. This contribution assumes greater importance, the more volatile the oil in-olved. Oil recovery may be sub-stantially greater than that predicted by conventional frontal-drive methods, which do not consider the vaporization equilibrium between the reservoir oil phase and the injected gas. A calculation method has been (developed to account for vaporiza-. tion of the reservoir liquid phase during gas-injectiorz operations, and for the tank oil production which results from this factor. Recovery performance calculations are presented for a reservoir containing a highly volatile oil. Tank oil recovery is calculated to be about twice that predicted by the use of the conven-rional frontal-drive equations. In contrastto usual pressure maintenance performance results, in which the gas-oil ratio rises at an increasing rate after gas breakthrough, the pre-dicated gas-oil ratio rises rapidly to about 12,000 scf/bhl and then rises much less rapidly. During gas inje-tion, most of the reservoir liquid phase contacted is evaporated by the dry injection gar. The gas-oil ratio during this period is dependent upon reservoir pressure. The higher the operating pressure, the lower the gas-oil ratio. The predicted behavior i., in accordance with laboratory PVT tests made to .simulate the vaporization behavior. In addition to recovery performance predictions, results of the calculation procedure include complete wellstrearn composition data of value in the design of gasoline plant facilities often used in con-rrction with gas-injection operations. INTRODUCTION In the cycling of gas-condensate reservoirs, dry gas is injected to maintain reservoir pressure during wet gas production and to thereby eliminate or reduce ultimate loss of liquids due to retrograde condensation within the reservoir. Gas injected into crude oil reservoirs has a dual function. It displaces oil to the producing wells and at the same time serves to partially or fully maintain reservoir pressure. Oil shrinkage which would occur upon pressure reduction is thereby minimized or eliminated. Accepted calculation methods are available'= for predicting recovery performance of either gas-condensate reservoirs or crude oil reservoirs which are being subjected to gas injection. In gas-condensate reservoirs, any retrograde liquid formed does not flow, and it is necessary to account only for the vaporization equilibrium between this liquid and the injected gas. Conversely, in normal crude oil reservoirs, both the oil and gas phases flow, but it has not been considered necessary to account for any vaporization of the reservoir liquid which might occur upon contact with the dry injection gas. Recently, high shrinkage reservoir fluids known as "volatile oils" have been found in increasing amounts. These oils are characterized by tank oil gravities above 4.5" API, solution gas-oil ratios above 1,000 scf/bbl, and reservoir volume factors above two. Special techniques have been devised for predicting depletion performance of reservoirs containing such oils.74.5.1; One of the characteristics of reservoirs producing volatile oils is that the reservoir gas phase carries a significant amount of oil which is recoverable as stock-tank liquid. This unusual vaporization be-havior implies that an appreciable amount of reservoir liquid would be vaporized upon contact of the oil with dry injection gas. In a gas-injection operation, tank oil recovery would he obtained not only through frontal displacement of the reservoir liquid by the injected gas, but also through production of the rich gas phase. This means that not only are improved methods needed to predict recovery of such oils from reservoirs undergoing gas injection, but it would also be expected that high oil recoveries might be obtained by such operations. When relatively dry gas is injected in to a volatile oil reservoir, phase equilibrium between the injected gas and the reservoir oil will tend to bc established. Initially the most volatile components, such as propane, the butanes and the pentanes, will account for most of the material transferred from the oil phase to the gas phase. As the partially stripped oil phase is contacted with additional dry injection gas, the heavier intermediate components, such as the hexanes, the heptanes and the octanes, will gradually transfer to the gas phase in increasing amounts. This is because the supply of lighter components in the oil phase dwindles due to the stripping action of the injected gas. This stripping action will usually continue to be effective down

By Joseph Fry, Ralph H. Espach

In the spring of 1943, when it was evident that the Tensleep bandstone in the Elk Basin Field, Wyoming and Montana, held a large reserve of petroleum, Bureau of Mines engineers obtained samples of oil from the bottom of nine wells and analyzed them for such physical characteristics as the volumes. of gas in solution. saturation pressures or bubble points, shrinkage in volume caused by the release of gas from solution, expansion of the oil with decrease in pressure, and other related properties. The composition of the gas in solution in the oil was studied. The pressures and temperatures existing in the reservoir and the productivity characteristics of the oil wells were determined. The data obtained indicate that the oil in the Tensleep Reservoir of the Elk Basin Field has unusually varying physiral characteristics, such as a saturation pressure of 1,250 psia and 490 cu ft of gas in solultion in a barrel of oil at the crest of the structure and a saturation pressure of 530 psia and 134 cu ft of gas in solution in a barrel of oil low on the flanks. The hydrogen sulfide content of the gas in solution in the oil varies from 18 per cent for oil on the crest to 5 per cent for oil low on the flanks of the structure. Of even greater significance is the fact that these and other variable characteristics of the reservoir oil are related to the position of the oil in the structure. Many geologists and petroleum engineers have considered that all the oil in a petroleum reservoir has rather uniform physical characteristics and that equilibrium conditions prevailed in all underground accumulations of oil and gas; that such is not always so is borne out by the results of the study by the writers. INTRODUCTION The Rocky Mountain region is one in which may be found striking examples of the unusual in oil and gas accumulations, as is evident from the following: The high helium content (7.6 per cent) of the gas in the Ouray-Leadville limestone sequence in the Rattlesnake Field, New Mexico, and gases of similar helium content in other fields; 50" to 55' API gravity distillate in solution in carbon dioxide gas and recoverable through retrograde condensation, in the North McCallum Field, Colorado; the occurrence of gas, oil, or both in closely related structures contrary to the usual concepts of gravimetric segregation: the accumulation of gas and/or oil in structures closely related to other structures that apparently are more favorable but do not contain oil or gas accumulations; the high hydrogen sulfide content (as high as 42 per cent) of the gas associated with oil in some fields in the Big Horn Basin, Wyoming; and the wide range of fluid chararteristics found in the Elk Basin reservoir. Elk Basin, an interesting old oil field that has been producing oil from the Frontier formation since 1915, is situated in a highly eroded basin resulting from the erosion of the crest of an anticline and some of the underlying softer shales. The field came back into national prominence during 1943 when it became known that it was the largest single reserve of new oil discovered in the United States that year. The Tensleep sandstone was found to contain oil in November. 1942, when a well drilled to a depth of 4,538 ft (44 ft into the Tensleep sandstone) flowed oil at the rate of 2,500 B/D. By the end of 1949, 137 oil-producing wells and five dry holes had been drilled, and approximately 32 million bbl of oil had been produced. Approximately 6,000 acres may be considered productive of oil in the Tensleep Reservoir, and estimates of the oil that will be produced average 200 million bbl. The Tensleep Reservoir has further interest because it ha-greater closure than any oil field in the Rocky Mountain region; the closure of the Elk Basin anticline is variously estimated at 5.000 to 10,000 ft. of which the top 2.00 ft of the structure contained oil. SUBSURFACE OIL SAMPLING Fig. 1 is a structural map of the Elk Basin Tensleep Reservoir, on which the nine wells used in this study and the numbers correvponding to the well designations hereafter referred to are shown. Wells 1. 2, 3, 4, and 8 were tested and sampled during October and November. 1943. and Wells 5, 6. 7, and 9 during June and July, 1944. An electromagnetic type sampler developed by the Bureau of Mines and described by Grandone and Cook' was used in obtaining the subsurface oil samples. As the wells were tubed nearly to bottom, the sampler was run as far as possible in the tubing hut never below the top perforations. The following procedure was used in testing and sampling the wells: A well was shut in for at least three days, after

Jan 1, 1951

By Joseph Fry, Ralph H. Espach

In the spring of 1943, when it was evident that the Tensleep bandstone in the Elk Basin Field, Wyoming and Montana, held a large reserve of petroleum, Bureau of Mines engineers obtained samples of oil from the bottom of nine wells and analyzed them for such physical characteristics as the volumes. of gas in solution. saturation pressures or bubble points, shrinkage in volume caused by the release of gas from solution, expansion of the oil with decrease in pressure, and other related properties. The composition of the gas in solution in the oil was studied. The pressures and temperatures existing in the reservoir and the productivity characteristics of the oil wells were determined. The data obtained indicate that the oil in the Tensleep Reservoir of the Elk Basin Field has unusually varying physiral characteristics, such as a saturation pressure of 1,250 psia and 490 cu ft of gas in solultion in a barrel of oil at the crest of the structure and a saturation pressure of 530 psia and 134 cu ft of gas in solution in a barrel of oil low on the flanks. The hydrogen sulfide content of the gas in solution in the oil varies from 18 per cent for oil on the crest to 5 per cent for oil low on the flanks of the structure. Of even greater significance is the fact that these and other variable characteristics of the reservoir oil are related to the position of the oil in the structure. Many geologists and petroleum engineers have considered that all the oil in a petroleum reservoir has rather uniform physical characteristics and that equilibrium conditions prevailed in all underground accumulations of oil and gas; that such is not always so is borne out by the results of the study by the writers. INTRODUCTION The Rocky Mountain region is one in which may be found striking examples of the unusual in oil and gas accumulations, as is evident from the following: The high helium content (7.6 per cent) of the gas in the Ouray-Leadville limestone sequence in the Rattlesnake Field, New Mexico, and gases of similar helium content in other fields; 50" to 55' API gravity distillate in solution in carbon dioxide gas and recoverable through retrograde condensation, in the North McCallum Field, Colorado; the occurrence of gas, oil, or both in closely related structures contrary to the usual concepts of gravimetric segregation: the accumulation of gas and/or oil in structures closely related to other structures that apparently are more favorable but do not contain oil or gas accumulations; the high hydrogen sulfide content (as high as 42 per cent) of the gas associated with oil in some fields in the Big Horn Basin, Wyoming; and the wide range of fluid chararteristics found in the Elk Basin reservoir. Elk Basin, an interesting old oil field that has been producing oil from the Frontier formation since 1915, is situated in a highly eroded basin resulting from the erosion of the crest of an anticline and some of the underlying softer shales. The field came back into national prominence during 1943 when it became known that it was the largest single reserve of new oil discovered in the United States that year. The Tensleep sandstone was found to contain oil in November. 1942, when a well drilled to a depth of 4,538 ft (44 ft into the Tensleep sandstone) flowed oil at the rate of 2,500 B/D. By the end of 1949, 137 oil-producing wells and five dry holes had been drilled, and approximately 32 million bbl of oil had been produced. Approximately 6,000 acres may be considered productive of oil in the Tensleep Reservoir, and estimates of the oil that will be produced average 200 million bbl. The Tensleep Reservoir has further interest because it ha-greater closure than any oil field in the Rocky Mountain region; the closure of the Elk Basin anticline is variously estimated at 5.000 to 10,000 ft. of which the top 2.00 ft of the structure contained oil. SUBSURFACE OIL SAMPLING Fig. 1 is a structural map of the Elk Basin Tensleep Reservoir, on which the nine wells used in this study and the numbers correvponding to the well designations hereafter referred to are shown. Wells 1. 2, 3, 4, and 8 were tested and sampled during October and November. 1943. and Wells 5, 6. 7, and 9 during June and July, 1944. An electromagnetic type sampler developed by the Bureau of Mines and described by Grandone and Cook' was used in obtaining the subsurface oil samples. As the wells were tubed nearly to bottom, the sampler was run as far as possible in the tubing hut never below the top perforations. The following procedure was used in testing and sampling the wells: A well was shut in for at least three days, after

Jan 1, 1951

New Mexico School of Mmes, and State Bureau of Mmes and Mineral Resources, Socorro, N. M E. H Wells, President and Director Available publications of the State Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources of the New Mexico School of Mines are: Bulletin 4, Fluorspar in New Mexico (1928), 60 cents; 5, Geologic

Jan 1, 1933

By Donivan L. Gordon, Fred H. Dorheim

Often, as viewed by the public and many in the mining industry, abandoned limestone and gypsum quarries offer a simple, economic solution to the twofold problem of solid-waste disposal and land reclamation. In a state where about 75% of the existing quarries are in hydrologic connection with carbonate aquifiers the rationale for considering the storage of solid waste in them must be critically examined. Consistent with the requirements of water resources protection, criteria are suggested to evaluate the potentiality of using abandoned limestone and gypsum quarries as sanitary landfill sites.

Jan 1, 1975

By Mason K. Banks

A process has been developed which produces spodumene concentrates assaying 6.0 pct Li2O and 0.45 pct Fe2O3, with 70 to 75 pct recovery of spodumene. Two flotation separations are required: the simultaneous removal of mica, feldspar, and quartz as a froth product using a cationic collector, and the subsequent removal of iron-bearing minerals as a froth product while spodumene is depressed as a tailing. SINCE the close of World War II there have been numerous developments resulting in the increased use of lithium by industry. Notable among these has been the development of an industrial lubricant, based on lithium stearate, which is fluid at low temperatures, stable at high temperature, and insoluble in water. A new bleaching agent, lithium hypo-chlorite, has also been developed recently.' Other well-known uses are listed below: 1—Lithium oxide in ceramics reduces firing time, lowers melting temperatures, lowers thermal expansion, raises refractive index, and improves chemical resistivity. 2—Lithium carbonate and lithium strontium nitrate are used in pyrotechnics for their brilliant red color.' 3—Lithium chlorides and fluorides are used as fluxes for welding aluminum and magnesium.' 4—The affinity of lithium for nitrogen is the basis for a process used in purifying helium." 5— Lithium chlorides and bromides are used in air conditioning for their powers to absorb organic amines, ammonia, and smoke.6-—Lithium hydride has been used as a source of hydrogen to inflate life rafts and balloons used by the Air Forces and Navy.' 7— Lithium metal and lithium hydride are useful in the atomic energy program in connection with the production of the isotopes of hydrogen." During the 1942-45 period of World War 11, Solvay Process Co. operated a flotation plant with a daily capacity of 300 tons of ore for the production of spodumene concentrate near Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The operation was shut down upon reduction of wartime demand for lithium chemicals, and until recently there has been no production from the Carolinas. In April 1950 an investigation of the problem of spodumene flotation from North Carolina ores was begun at North Carolina State College Minerals Research Laboratory at Asheville, N. C. This laboratory, operating under the combined auspices of North Carolina State College, North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, undertook the spodumene project at the request of Foote Mineral Co. of Philadelphia. The work, involving a period of 15 months of intensive batch and pilot plant investigation, was completed in June 1951 and resulted in development of a process for concentration of spodumene by flotation which has been hereto unrecorded in the literature. A similar approach has been used before on iron, ilmenite, and other minerals, but the literature shows no record of its having been applied to spodumene. Parts of the process are now being used on a commercial scale at the Foote Mineral Co. plant near Kings Mountain, N. C., which has been in production since July 1951. It is the purpose of this paper to describe some of the results of the investigation. The Orebodies Spodumene-bearing pegmatites occur in a narrow belt 24.5 miles long and 1.8 miles wide extending southwestward from Lincolnton to Grover, N. C. According to statements judged to be conservative, the tin-spodumene belt of the Carolinas contains an estimated 4,300,000 tons of pegmatite ore averaging 15 pct spodumene. This amounts to "a reserve of at least 650,000 tons of spodumene (more than 20,000 tons of metallic lithium) to a depth of 100 ft."' This figure includes only bodies having an average thickness of 35 ft and length of 550 ft. There are hundreds of pegmatites in the belt, many of which are less than 10 ft wide. The largest pegmatite in the area has a maximum thickness of 395 ft and maximum length of 3250 ft.' These larger pegmatites are composed principally

Jan 1, 1954

YEAR OF ELECTION 1944. SELWYN GWILLYM BLAYLOCK Trail, B.C., Canada 1922. FEDERICO GIOLITTI Torino, Italy 1917. HERBERT HOOVER New, York, N. Y. 1941. DANIEL COWAN JACKLING San Francisco, Cal if. 1939. HENRY KRUMB New York, N. Y. 1942. ESSINGTON LEWIS Melbourne, Vic., Australia 1921. C. McDERMID London, England 1942. PAUL DYER MERICA New York, N. Y. 1913. EZEQUIEL ORDONEZ Mexico City, Mexico 1938. A. M. PORTEVIN Paris, France. 1937. JOHN V. W. REYNDERS New York, N. Y. 1937. GEORGE S. RICE Washington, D. C. 1911. ROBERT H. RICHARDS Cambridge, Mass. 1934. T. A. RICKARD Victoria, B.C., Canada

Jan 1, 1944

By H. F. Beeghly

UNTIL recently the only criteria by which steels were judged were their cost and their mechanical, chemical, and physical properties. The user was concerned with such properties as corrosion resistance, tensile strength, response to thermal treatment, hardness, ductility, and, to a growing extent in recent years, with behavior at high temperature. As plans were made to build power reactors, a new set of properties became important—the nuclear characteristics, which had to be considered by the designer and engineer in building his plant. The nuclear engineer developed methods for the rare and new metals and produced them in high purity, often at great expense. The pure metals then provided the raw materials for tailor-made alloys. For more common structural metals, such as steel, the nuclear industry depended on commercially available materials. Generally, the quantities required were small and specifications were rigid. It is not surprising, therefore, that difficulty was frequently encountered in procuring structural mate-

Jan 1, 1957

By Thomas J. Ferree

The principle mineral concentration practices today can be divided into three basic process categories: magnetic separation, flotation and gravity separation. The basic processes have been in use for many years with only limited changes occurring in equipment design or process technique. In general, equipment and process techniques have been altered only after a need for change has developed. With exceptions for changes necessitated by new environmental laws, most equipment and process improvements have evolved in accordance with the desire to concentrate larger quantities of material at lower costs. The basic result has been the development of larger capacity equipment, to wit: larger flotation cells, larger blast furnaces, larger haulage equipment and larger chemical process equipment. However, there has been practically no changes in the size of spirals, tables, jigs, or-within limits- magnetic separators. (The exception being high-intensity magnetic separators). Consequently, a "new" device has entered the scene which may fill a void in the gravity separation field. It is called a Reichert cone concentrator.

Jan 3, 1973

By B. L. Landrum, P. B. Crawford

The rise of a new laboratory model for studying tran-sient fluid flow problems, is described. The theory of he model is based on the analogy between the equa-ions which describe the flow of compressible fluids in porous media and the conduction of heal m solids. The "thermal model" is used to study the Iransient Pressure distributions during fluid displacement in five Standard well patterns. The studies indicate quantita-ively how die pressures change with lane at any poit in the reservoir. It was found that, in general, the equipressure contours are more radial about the wells early in the program than after steady-state conditions are established. In addition two studies of fractured five-spot patterns are presented to illustrate the opplicability of the model for a wide range of reservoir conditions. INTRODUCTION In reviewing the oil recovery techniques involving fluid displacement it was found that a very considerable quantity, if not all of the fluid within the pattern, mav be displaced (during a time-dependent or transient period rather than the usually applied steady-state conditions. Since the oil is displaced during a transient period, it was believed desirable to study the nature of the transients for several of the commonly used fluid displacement patterns. A literature review indicated fairly complete studies of the streamlines and isopotentials for steady-state: yet few data were available on the transient displacement process. Several simulated steady-state multiwell displacement programs were carefully mapped by Foster and Lodge on an electrical conducting sheet as early as 1875, hut the more recent work of Muskat provides the best source for steady-state phenomena having direct petroleum production applications. In order to study the transient phenomena a new lab-oratory model was developed which is based on the similarity of the equations that describe the flow of fluids and the conduction of heal. The equations describing heat flow were developed early in the nineteenth century. Regorous solutions tor most transient problems are in gcneral complex and usually limited to fairly restricted houndary conditions.2 the thermal model may be used to obtain approximate solutions for many transient problems without some of the restrictions required for analytical solution. The application of the analogy between heat conduc-. tion in solids. electrical flow and fluid flow, in a porous media has long been recognised. Techniques originally developed for the solution of heat conduction prol?lems have in many instances proved useful in ohtaining solutions to fluid flow prohlcms. Ir is not surpri5ing then that a heat conduction or thermal model might bf usefull in sludying transient fluid flow. As an example ol the problems suitable for the study with the thermal model, transient pressure distributions during fluid displacement programs are studied for the five-spot, line-drive, staggered line-diibe. seven-spot 211 two fractured patterns. A model was constructed of an iron plate of geometry similar to the reservoir patterns under study. The principle of mirror images as suggested by Bryan was employed in shaping the model. A temperature differential was obtained by soldering two sections of copper tubing to the plate at points analogous to the well location in the field. Hot and cold water was passed through the tubing. The temperature distribution, analogous to the pressure distribution in the field. was obtained a a function of time from thermocouplcs distributed over the plate.

By Rizzi Homestake Mining Co.

Geophysical methods of discovering new mineral deposits have long been routine with both the petroleum and mining industries. Experience has shown that most subsurface structures and mineral deposits can be located, provided that detectable differences in physical properties exist. The main properties exhibited by the more common rocks and formations are: density, magnetism, electricity, electrical conductivity, and radioactivity. This entails five major geophysical methods: gravitational, magnetic, seismic, electrical, and radiation. Applications of radioactivity measurements in geophysical exploration are concerned with location of concentrations of radioactive rocks and materials, such as uranium. The search for uranium ores and minerals has been carried on for more than 50 years, ever since the first atomic breakdown from uranium to radium was discovered. However, the comprehensive search now being made throughout the world for radioactive materials is a direct result of the first atomic explosion and the subsequent development of new and more sensitive portable equipment to detect radiation.

Mar 1, 1956

By E. P. Bucklen, L. J. Prelaz, J. R. Lucas

Today, the future of the coal industry is extremely bright because coal can be produced at a cost which makes it competitive with other energy sources. However, the industry has been forewarned that further cost reductions must be made if it expects to remain a serious contender in the growing energy market. Surface as well as underground operations must be improved. The very same elements which affected production a few years ago still exist today and will continue to be present in the future. Improvements in production mining equipment, mining methods and auxiliary equipment have resulted in reduced costs over the past few years. Efforts must be continued toward further reducing costs in areas which have been previously improved and new areas should be investigated for possible improvements. Therefore, new techniques must be developed which will enable the industry to augment its current efforts in reducing the cost of mining. The logical place to begin evaluating the factors affecting production and cost is in the immediate face area where a substantial part of the total cost of mining is incurred. The coal industry stands to gain much through the development of new techniques for analyzing the numerous variables affecting production and by establishing methods for eliminating or minimizing the adverse effect of those variables which can be controlled. Intuition and trial-and-error methods have been the standard means used to resolve many of the factors which influence production. As a result, many elements are overlooked or ignored because their effects on production are not pronounced and cannot be readily resolved.

Jan 3, 1965

By R. Simon, D. J. Graue

This paper presents correlations for predicting the solu-lility, swelling and viscosity behavior of CO2-crude oil sys8i.m~. The correlations were developed from experimental data obtained by the authors. These data are also presented. The data were determined by measuring the properties of mixtures of CO, and nine different oils. Experiinental conditions covered a range of 100 to 250°F and pressures up to 2,300 psia. Properties predicted by the correlations have average deviations, expressed as per cent of experimental value, of 2 per cent for solubility, 0.5 per cent for swelling and 12 per cent for viscosity. INTRODUCTION Interest in CO2 injection as an oil recovery process has led to the development of performance prediction methods which can be applied to specific reservoirs.1 iS To use these performance prediction methods, it is necessary to know the solubility, swelling and viscosity properties of CO2-crude oil mixtures at reservoir conditions. Some information on these properties has appeared in the literature; however, this information did not cover the range of different oils and conditions needed to prepare generalized correlations for reservoir engineering purposes. Consequently, an experimental program was undertaken to collect the data needed. The data obtained and the correlations developed from the data are described in the following sections of this paper. SOLUBILITY OF CO2 IN CRUDE OILS CO2 solubility data in the literature come from six principal sources. The solubility prediction method of Welker and Dunlop3 is limited to 80F. The information in Ref. 4 is of two types: the first includes binary and ternary mixtures of CO, and light hydrocarbons (C1 to C6), and the second gives data for CO1 and heavy hydrocarbons for a temperature range of 40 to 90F. Ref. 5 contains a KCO2 chart for systems whose convergence pressure is 4,000 psia. The KCO2's are based mainly on CO2-natural gas mixtures. Poettmann's work covered CO2 solubility in one condensate and one crude oil6,7 Ja-coby and Rzasa measured CO? solubilities as a function of pressure and temperature for two natural gas-absorber oil mixtures and two natural gas-crude oil mixtures.'8 CO, concentration in these four systems was fixed at 5 mol per cent. The work reported in this paper extends CO, solubility data to a variety of different crude oil types in a temperature range from 110 to 250F and pressures up to 2,300 psia. The experimental procedure used by the authors to obtain the solubility data consisted of combining known amounts of pure CO, and crude oil in a visual cell at a fixed temperature and measuring the bubble point of the mixture. Measurements were made for a total of 40 different CO2-oil mixtures and the results are shown in Table 2. The mixtures included nine different oils (seven crude oils and two refined oils) whose properties are listed in Table 1. All nine oils had vapor pressures less than 1 atm at the experimental temperatures. Consequently, analysis of the bubble-point vapor showed a CO, concentration over 99 mol per cent. At no time during these experiments was a second, more dense, liquid phase observed. The solubility correlation which was developed from the data in Table 2 is presented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. In these figures, solubility is expressed as xco2 the mol fraction of CO, in the CO2-oil mixture. Fig. 1 shows solubility as a function of CO2 fugacity6 and temperature. Fig. 2 shows the same solubility data expressed as a function of saturation pressure and temperature. The solubility shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is for an oil whose UOP characterization factor is 11.7. UOP characterization factors of crude oils can be determined from Ref. 10 if the viscosity and APT gravity of the oil are known. Fig. 3 gives the solubility correction factor for oils whose UOP characterization factors differ from 11.7. The solubility correlation in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 predicted

Jan 1, 1966

By C. T. Bischoff

This paper describes the results of testing with colorimetric methods, using "dithizone", soil samples taken over various known copper and zinc deposits covered by glacial till. Variation in results is shown for different depths and types of overburden as well as grade and type of deposit. Limiting factors for the practical application of this work are discussed. The method has proved successful for copper and zinc deposits under clay and fine sand with depths up to at least 30 ft but fails in coarse sand and gravel unless depths are very shallow. Swamps require penetration to the underlying subsoil for sample material. DURING the past few years geochemical testing for traces of heavy metals in water, soil, rock, and vegetation has aroused increasing interest. Various techniques for field and laboratory determinations have been described in the literature, as have some of the results of application. However, little information has been published regarding application to glacial terrain. Over 90 pct of the Canadian Shield is overburdened, resulting in high costs for mineral exploration once the outcropping ore deposits have been found. This has been largely responsible for the widespread application of mining geophysics in Canada, permitting concentration of effort on area or zones considered most favorable. However, geophysical interpretation has its limitations, since at least 90 pct of the structures indicated thereby contain no valuable minerals. A more direct approach is therefore highly desirable. If underlying base metal mineralization can be detected by sampling soil or vegetation at moderate cost this should prove of great help in locating new discoveries or extending known ones. A large proportion of Canadian ore deposits contain appreciable copper or zinc, even where these are not the principal economic metals. Consequently the field of application is a broad one. This paper deals with investigations along these lines with particular emphasis on soil sampling. The problems involved from the start were: 1—Which types of glacial soil, if any, would best lend themselves to testing, and conversely which types might be considered relatively hopeless? 2—Through what depths of overburden could significant mineralization be detected? 3—What sampling techniques would prove economically applicable? This included minimum depth of sample and maximum spacing that could be allowed.

Jan 1, 1955

By Constantine Michalopoulos, Roger C. Van Tassel

Commercial demand for gold in the United States is important. It has a large impact on the total world commercial and overall non-monetary demand. Given the present free market price and our need to import gold, it has a substantial adverse effect upon our international payments position. But, according to most recent estimates, the United States demand is perhaps no more than 20% of the world as a whole. In 1971, United States consumption was estimated at 215.6 tons out of a total of 1,412.1 tons 1. This figure is very close to the 16% figure developed by Consolidated Gold Fields as the average for the years 1968-1970.2 Surveys of both production and use of gold on a world-wide basis are not new. With the bulk of gold production in only a few countries, it has been possible to develop fairly reliable series on gold output. Estimates have been developed on the known reserves of gold and probable output at various prices.3 On the demand side, figures have been somewhat less complete and reliable. The Bank for International Settlements and the Director of the United States Mint have regularly published estimates of commercial use in major industrial countries. The IMF has issued an increasingly comprehensive survey in its Annual Reports. The IMF has attempted to cover all nations-not restricting its efforts to major industrial nations-and has tried to estimate both gold taken for commercial uses (Estimated Industrial and Artistic Use) and for private hoarding. Their method is to begin with data on free world output plus any net sales by the Soviet Union, subtract any additions to world monetary stocks (or add to available supply for any net reductions in world monetary stocks), subtract estimates for commercial demand and have left as a residual an estimate for private hoarding. The method is straightforward and simple but the quality of the data is suspect. Industry sources tend to believe the figures as biased on the low side because of a persistent tendency to underreport gold movements.4

Jan 3, 1974