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By P. A. Tucker, T. B. Rhinehammer, D. E. Etter, J. E. Selle

The Ce-Cu phase diagram was investigated by differential thermal analysis and rnetallography. Two congruent melting compounds, CeCu2 (817°C) and CeCua (938°C), and three incongruent cornpounds, CeCu (516°C), CeCu, (796°C), and CeCu, CERIUM and copper have been suggested as possible diluents in a liquid-plutonium fueled reactor. As part of the determination of the Ce-Cu-Pu ternary phase diagram, a review Of the Ce-Cu system (798°C), are present in this system. Eutectics exist at 28 at. pct Cu (424°C), 74 at. pct Cu (756°C), and 91 at. pct Cu (876°C). The purity of the cerium used has an important effect on the results obtained by differential thermal analysis. was considered necessary. Previous work by Hanaman was conducted with relatively impure metal: 96.7 pct Ce with 2.5 pct other rare earths and 0.5 pct Fe as major impurities. The metal had a melting point of 715°C as compared to the melting point for pure cerium of 804°C as reported by Spedding and Daane.2 Results presented in this work were obtained primarily by differential thermal analysis (DTA) and metallographic examination of slow-cooled or quenched samples.

Jan 1, 1964

By C. F. Smart

The heat treatment of the bronze composed of 88 per cent. copper, 10 per cent. tin, and 2 per cent. zinc, has been investigated by H. S. and J. G. S. Primrose,' and also by the U. S. Bureau of Standards.2 The results obtained by H. S. and J. G. S. Primrose on dry-sand castings subjected to reheating followed by air cooling, or by quenching in water, are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The values for tensile strength have been converted from tons per square inch to pounds per square inch. Figs. 3 and 4, have been plotted from values obtained by the Bureau of Standards on material of the same composition and treatment. Both investigations show that the ductility of the cast bronze is improved by heating to 700' C. and cooling in air, the strength not being impaired by this treatment. They are not in agreement, howevcr, as to the effect of quenching, Messrs. Primrose reporting a decrease, and the Bureau of Standards an increase, in both strength and ductility when the cast bronze is heated to 600' or 700' C. and quenched. The present investigation was undertaken to study the effect of annealing followed by different rates of cooling, and, in particular, the

Jan 1, 1921

By R. R. Morral, F. M. Krill, K. T. Aust

THE occurrence of twins in aluminum ingots cast under certain conditions has been well established. For instance, Herenguel and Lacombe1,2 have observed a twinned columnar structure in 99.5 and 99.9 pct Al, solidified by continuous or semicontinuous casting. The structure, which they termed "basaltic," appears in the form of elongated crystalline fibers of alternating luster. Herenguel and Lacombe2 found sections of flat crystalline plates composed of twin crystal plates, in which the twin plane (111) and a [I121 direction contained in the twin plane are parallel to the principal heat gradient. This orientation relationship is different from the usual orientation texture observed in cast face-centered cubic metals, where the [100] direction is approximately parallel to the long columnar axes lying in the direction of growth." A large amount of twinning has also been observed by the present authors in semicontinuous cast aluminum of 99.2 pct purity, Fig. 1. Mondolfo4 has suggested that the twinned cast structure forms by a deformation twinning process as the result of uneven cooling stresses within the ingots. This suggestion appears to be inconsistent with the large amount of twinning observed in the semicontinuous cast ingots and with the large difference of dendritic

Jan 1, 1953

By G. R. St. Pierre, R. D. Blackburn

Oxygen contents of' liquid-iron alloys saturated with oxides are analyzed. Minimum points observed in particular Fe-X-O systems can be predicled by a simple extension of first-order interaction methods. If minimum oxygen content occurs at N; where r is the ratio of metal to oxygen in the oxide phase. RECENTLY, wisher' reported on solubility measurements of A1203 in liquid iron at 1580°C which support the earlier work of d'Entremont, Guernsey, and chipman2 and Gokcen and Chipman. Swisher's diagram is reproduced in Fig. l. Minimum points in oxide solubilities have also been found in the Fe-Cr-0 system,4 Fig. 2, and the Fe-Ti-0 system,' Fig. 3. Minima positions can be used to confirm approximately the measured first-order interactions, &, cgr, and E&~, in liquid iron and to deduce compositions of components of constant activity in the oxide phases. Consider the solution of Alz03 in liquid iron: for which an equilibrium constant can be written as: differentiating Eq. [2] with respect to Na~, the atom fraction of &l in the metallic solution, and noting that If the activities of Al and 9 are expanded by a first-order interaction model, then:

Jan 1, 1969

By C. F. Smart

THE heat treatment of the bronze composed of 88 per cent. copper, 10 per cent. tin, and 2 per cent. zinc, has been investigated by H. S. and J. G. S. Primrose,1 and also by the U. S. Bureau of Standards.2 The results obtained by H. S. and J. G. S. Primrose on dry-sand castings subjected to reheating followed by air cooling, or by quenching in water, are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The values for tensile strength have been FIG. 1.-EFFECT OF QUENCHING ON DRY SAND CASTINGS (H. S. AND J. G. S. PRIMROSE.) converted from tons per square inch to pounds per square inch. Figs. 3and 4, have been plotted from values obtained by the Bureau of Standards on material of the same composition and treatment. Both investigations show that the ductility of the cast bronze is improved by heating to 700° C. and cooling in air, the strength not being impaired by this treatment. They are not in agreement, however, as to the effect of quenching, Messrs. Primrose reporting a decrease, and the Bureau of Standards an increase, in both strength and ductility when the cast bronze is heated to 600° or 700° C. and quenched.

Jan 9, 1919

The Library Board of the United Engineering Society is desirous of bringing closer to you the facilities and usefulness of your splendid Library. To that end, they have inaugurated a Service Bureau whose duty it shall be to maintain such a staff of expert searchers and translators as to insure prompt and thoroughly efficient service to those of our members whose absence from New York makes it inconvenient for them to pesronally consult the books and periodicals on our shelves. The Service Bureau is also arranging to keep such members as may desire it, posted on the current publications of any engineering subject in which they may be specially interested. The Charter of the United Engineering Society does not permit the Library to carry on any work of a commercial character and, therefore, the prices charged members for this service have to be kept down to a merely self-supporting basis. All the work done by the Library Service Bureau is strictly confidential.

Jan 9, 1915

71 BROADWAY, NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 1913. CHARLES W. GOODALE, Chairman, . DARSIE C. BARD, ESQ., Secretary. Committee on Precious and Base Metals, Butte, Montana. Gentlemen The wonderful success of the meeting of the Institute held in Montana makes it necessary that some public acknowledgment should be made to those to whom this success is due. We are conscious that the securing of the great number of technical papers of lasting value and the carrying to success of most complete detailed arrangements for holding the meeting have called for several months of skilled effort on your part. The benefit of the meeting is very great and extends not only to those who were fortunate enough to be present, but to our four thousand absent members and their friends as well. To you and your associates on the Committee whose efforts have made this never-to-be-forgotten meeting possible we owe far more than can be expressed in votes of thanks. Very respectfully, CHARLES F. RAND, President.

Jan 10, 1913

THE fifth annual convention of coal-operating men, with the usual exposition of coal-mine equipment, was held at Cincinnati, May 7 to 11 inclusive, and was fully up to the high standard set by previous years. This spring meeting has come to be one of the most helpful services to industry performed by the Ameri-can Mining Congress and a center at which operators and engineers easily and quickly get into touch with the newest and best things in practice and equipment. Over 200 exhibitors showed this year and very little if anything that is new `failed to be shown. The ex-hibits were well arranged and adequate rather than elaborate. They attracted the careful attention of the members and guests of the Congress, admission being by badge rather than by ticket sold to, the general public. Eight sessions were held for reading and dis-cussion of technical papers, one for Management and

Jan 6, 1928

(Members are urged 'to, send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or, their fellow-members.) Members and guests who registered at Institute headquarters during the period Sept. 10 to Oct. 10, 1915: George H. Blakemore, Sydney, N. S. W. W. B. A. Dingwall, San Antonio, Tex.. H. Haege, Sydney, N. S. W. R. H. Jeffrey, London, England. C. A. Filteau, New York, N. Y. H. S. Emlaw, Spring Lake, Mich. Myron R. Walker, Cerro de Pasco, Peru. Y. T. Woo,' Tientsin, China. William R. Grunow, Morenci, Ariz. A. L. DeDeken, LouVain, Belgium. E. DeGolyer, Norman, Okla. K. P. Swensen, Tokyo, Japan. William W. Elmer, Tuttletown, Cal. Charles Enzian, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Huntington Adams, Iquique, Chile. C. F. Schnepp, Cobalt, Ont., Canada. W. Ray Cox, for several years Mineral Inspector of the General Land Office at Portland, Ore., has been appointed Professor of Mining and Metallurgy in the School of Mines, Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis, Ore.

Jan 11, 1915

[ ] TEN FEET TALL and four feet wide, tire designed for Le Tourneau equipment is world's largest, and will operate with only 10 to 15 pounds air pressure. (15) SOIL SAMPLING: A complete collection of data about soil sampling techniques, accumulated during the past 33 years by the Acker Drill Co., is displayed in a 16-page bulletin. Modern sampling techniques are discussed along with recommendations as to correct tools and accessories best suited for economical recovery of samples. (16) GEAR MOTOR: U. S. Electrical Motors Inc. has a new bulletin on the type GW Syncrogear motor, showing phantom views of inner construction and operating detail. [ ] (17) SAFETY: A booklet containing an up-to-date list of American Safety Standards has been published by the American Standards Association. Comprehensive subject index and brief commentaries on the standards helps in selecting proper documents. Nearly all of the 160 American Safety Standards listed are widely used, and some have been adopted as a basic part of governmental codes.

Jan 1, 1952

PAUL D. FOOTE AND T. R. HARRISON, Washington, D. C. (written discussion *).-There are several methods for measuring the internal resistance of a battery, the line resistance in a circuit containing an e.m.f., or the true value of this e.m.f. The writers, however, were the first to em-ploy a simple principle whereby the total resistance of the circuit is ad-justed to a preassigned value for which the scale of the millivoltmeter is graduated, the only e.m.f. employed being that of the source measured. One of the simplest forms of these instruments is described on page 2842, September Bulletin. In papers now in the press we have described some twenty modifications of this simple design but all operating upon the same fundamentally new principle. The instrument devised by Mr. . Porter is of this general type but, unlike the designs we have recom-mended, is open to serious objections.

Jan 12, 1919

By Edmund E. Getzin

Of all the developments in the post-war history of Western Europe, none has been more remarkable in its aims and in the progress it has achieved than the movement toward European integration. It is not an exaggeration to say that this movement marks a virtual revolution, an about-face, in the long and complicated history of European states over the past three centuries. Although sporadic efforts to achieve European integration can be traced back for at least a 100 years, it remained for the breakdown of the European economies as a result of World War II and the subsequent Russian threat to give new impetus to the concept of broader economic and political integration. In fact, the economic integration of Europe following the end of the war was considered so essential that, in 1949, the administrator of the European Cooperation Administration, Paul Hoffman, spoke of the economic integration of Western Europe as an objective of American policy embodied in the Marshall Plan.

Jan 6, 1963

By Kenneth M. Bravinder, Jonathan E. Koogle, Dean H. Sheldon

THE solution of subsurface geological problems requires an analysis of vertical and horizontal dimensional relationships. For many, the ability to visualize structures in three dimensions is not easily acquired, and for areas where the structural conditions are complicated by faulting the need arises for illustrative models. This has led to the many forms of peg models, in which the usual course of construction includes a peg for the well bore, and the suspension of strings from peg to peg to illustrate the formation correlation between wells, thus developing the usual folds and flexures. Such models proved unsatisfactory for the analysis of fault problems. Consideration was then given to the use of transparent materials. A model of the Dominguez oil field was constructed in 1935, which consisted of a series of glass panels from well to well on which the formations were shown in color. This model, though serving its purpose at the time, proved to be impractical from the standpoints of cost, breakage hazard, and extreme difficulty in maintenance. The cost of materials was estimated to be approximately $300, and the construction required the services of one man for a period of from 10 to 12 months. Maintenance after actual construction was an additional expense. Consideration was then given to the use of celluloid, and after some experimental work it was found that the advantages in its use were: (I) a short construction time, (2) ease of handling the material, (3) sections are easily reworked, (4) low cost. CONSTRUCTION It would be of little value to recount here the difficulties encountered in the building of the first celluloid model. The conclusions drawn, however, suggest the following procedure for those who contemplate the construction of such a model: I. Determination of the Scale.-Accurate geological interpretation requires the use of the same scale horizontally and vertically. It should be emphasized that the limited size of the celluloid sheets (20 by 48 in. maximum dimensions), the area to be studied, the maximum depths to be plotted, and area of possible future development are the controlling factors in adopting a scale to be used. 2. Construction of the Base.-A satisfactory base may be constructed by using two pieces of three-ply wood separated by strips of i by 2-in. material. This type of construction prevents warping of the base. The size of the base is determined by the dimensions of the area to be studied plus 5 in. on all sides. A map of the same scale as that adopted for the model, indicating the lines of section to be used, should be fastened to the base. 3. Construction of the Frame (Fig. I).-In the construction of the frame the use of 1/2-in. o.d. pipe welded in a box shape is suggested, with two horizontal rods on each of the four sides, top and bottom. The top rod should be at least I in. higher than the

Jan 1, 1941

EUGENE WESLEY SHAW,* Washington, D. C. (written discussion ?).-Studies of the probable future production of oil wells and fields-particularly those in the nature of the recent work by Lewis and Beal, having the object of increasing the percentage of recovery-rank, in both practical and theoretic value, very high, if indeed they do not outrank all other petroleum investigations except structural surveys. Even such surveys, although saving untold millions that might have been spent in prospecting unpromising territory, may have less ultimate value than generally supposed, for it may perhaps be argued that much if not most of the condemned territory will sooner or later be tested-some is already productive-and the most that can be rightly claimed is the recovery of cream first; also that the consumption of the richest portions first cannot be extenuated, as it might with some resources, on the ground that if the best is not taken now it will deteriorate.

Jan 5, 1918

Victor G. Hills, Cripple Creek, Colo. (communication to the Secretary): In continuation of the subject of the perform ance of "baby machine-drills," presented by Mr. Thane, I sub mit the following records of work done with these drills in the Cripple Creek district of Colorado. Two years ago, the Anchoria-Leland mine began to use baby drills ; and, to make the experiment more complete, began by purchasing two machines, of the same size, but of different make. The little drills were first used for stoping and up raising, in which they achieved at once an unqualified success. Soon after, they began to be used for the smaller branch-drifts and prospecting cross-cuts, while the large two-man drills were still used for the main drifts. Now they have almost entirely superseded the large drills, since it has been found that they will do any ordinary work in the mine at less cost, both for labor and for powder, per ton of rock broken. The large drills, of course, make more rapid progress; but it is only where time is a specially important factor that they are now used. The Portland mine, where, until within a year, only the large machines were used, is now using some small drills for stoping, and also for drifting. Mr. Thane speaks of having two men to operate a baby-drill; but in this district the baby-machine is always worked by one man without help. Again, in Prof. Christy's postscript, the quoted extract from a letter of Mr. L. T. Seymour, the South African engineer, mentions a " 2 1/2-inch Little Giant," as though that were the smallest machine used in that region. These statements leave some doubt as to just what Mr. Thane means by a " baby-drill." To avoid any such uncertainty as to the present communication, I will say that the large or two-man drill in common use at Cripple Creek has a 3 1/8-inch cylinder; while a few mines employ a 3-inch, and a few, in running large tunnels, a 3 1/2-inch drill. What we call a baby-drill here has a

Jan 1, 1900

By J. B. Clark

The oil industry has long recognized the need for increasing well productivity. To meet this need, a process is being developed whereby the producing formation permeability is increased by hydraulically fracturing the formation. The "Hydrafrac" process, as it is now being used, consists of two steps: (1) injecting a viscous liquid containing a granular material, such as sand for a propping agent, under high hydraulic pressure to fracture the formation; (2) causing the viscous liquid to change from a high to a low viscosity so that it may be readily displaced from the formation. To date the process has been used in 32 jobs on 23 wells in 7 fields, resulting in a sustained increase in production in 11 wells. INTRODUCTION Need For Process Although explosives, acidizing, and other methods have long been used, there still exists a need for artificial means of improving the productive ability of oil and gas wells, particularly for wells which produce from formations which do not react readily with acids. This paper discusses the development of a hydraulic fracturing process, "Hydrafrac", which shows distinct promise of increasing production rates from wells producing from any type of formation. The method is also considered applicable to gas and water injection wells, wells used for solution mining of salts and, with some modification, to water wells and sulphur wells. Requirements of Process In considering such a possible process, it appeared that certain requirements must be met. Some of these are as follows: A. The hydraulic fluid selected must be sufficiently viscous that it can be injected into the well at pressure high enough to cause fracturing. B. The hydraulic fluid should carry in suspension a propping agent, such as sand, so that once a fracture is formed, it will be prevented from closing off and the fracture created will remain to serve as a flow channel for oil and gas. C. The fluid should be an oily one rather than a water-base fluid, because the latter would be harmful to many formations. D. After the fracture is made, it is essential that the fracturing fluid be thin enough to flow hack out of the well and not stay in place and plug the crack which it has formed. E. Sufficient pump capacity must be available to inject the fluid faster than it will leak away into the porous rock formation. F. In many instances, formation packers must be used to confine the fracture to the desired level, and to obtain the advantages of multiple fracturing. Development of Process As a necessary step in the development of this process, it was deemed advisable to determine if the Hydrafrac fluids were actually fracturing the formation or whether these special fluids were merely leaking away into the surrounding formation. To determine this, a shallow well, 15 feet deep, was drilled into a hard sandstone. Casing was set, the plug drilled, and the well deepened in the conventional manner. A fracturing fluid dyed a bright red was used to break down the formation. Sand mixed with distinctively colored solids was injected into the well with the fracturing fluid to prop open any fracture made in the formation. A simulated gel breaker solution dyed a bright blue was then pumped into the well to determine if the gel breaker would follow the first solution. The results are shown in Figure 1. It was noted that a fracture was formed about the well bore, that the propping agent was transported back into the break, and that the breaker solution did actually follow the fracturing gel out into the fracture. While it is realized that this shallow well test is probably not exactly equivalent to a deep test, the results were interpreted as being a definite indication of what happens down the hole during a Hydrafrac job. Of interest in this connection is an investigation reported by S. T. Yuster and J. C. Calhoun, Jr.' This study, re~orted after the Hydrafrac work was under way, presents some excellent field data supporting the theory of fracturing a formation with hydraulic pressure. METHOD Steps of Hydrafrcu: Process Figure 2 shows a simplified cross-sectional view of a well treated by one version of the process. The first step, formation breakdown, is done with a viscous fluid, usually consisting of an oil such as crude oil or gasoline, to which has been added a bodying agent. Due to availability and price, war-surplus Napalm has been used in the majority of experiments to date. Napalm is the soap which was used in the war to make "jellied gasoline". The next step consists of breaking down the viscosity of the gel by injecting a gel-breaker solution and then after several hours, putting the well back on production. Figure 3 shows diagram-matically, a typical field hookup. The oil or gasoline is unloaded into the 10 bbl. tank shown on the left rear of the truck. This base fluid is picked up by the mixing pump and pumped through the jet mixer, where the granular soap is added. Next it goes into a small mixing tub, from which the high-pressure pump takes suction. The solution is then pumped into the well. The breaker solution is then taken from an extra tank and is displaced into the well immediately following the gel. When required, additional trucks may

Jan 1, 1949

By J. B. Clark

The oil industry has long recognized the need for increasing well productivity. To meet this need, a process is being developed whereby the producing formation permeability is increased by hydraulically fracturing the formation. The "Hydrafrac" process, as it is now being used, consists of two steps: (1) injecting a viscous liquid containing a granular material, such as sand for a propping agent, under high hydraulic pressure to fracture the formation; (2) causing the viscous liquid to change from a high to a low viscosity so that it may be readily displaced from the formation. To date the process has been used in 32 jobs on 23 wells in 7 fields, resulting in a sustained increase in production in 11 wells. INTRODUCTION Need For Process Although explosives, acidizing, and other methods have long been used, there still exists a need for artificial means of improving the productive ability of oil and gas wells, particularly for wells which produce from formations which do not react readily with acids. This paper discusses the development of a hydraulic fracturing process, "Hydrafrac", which shows distinct promise of increasing production rates from wells producing from any type of formation. The method is also considered applicable to gas and water injection wells, wells used for solution mining of salts and, with some modification, to water wells and sulphur wells. Requirements of Process In considering such a possible process, it appeared that certain requirements must be met. Some of these are as follows: A. The hydraulic fluid selected must be sufficiently viscous that it can be injected into the well at pressure high enough to cause fracturing. B. The hydraulic fluid should carry in suspension a propping agent, such as sand, so that once a fracture is formed, it will be prevented from closing off and the fracture created will remain to serve as a flow channel for oil and gas. C. The fluid should be an oily one rather than a water-base fluid, because the latter would be harmful to many formations. D. After the fracture is made, it is essential that the fracturing fluid be thin enough to flow hack out of the well and not stay in place and plug the crack which it has formed. E. Sufficient pump capacity must be available to inject the fluid faster than it will leak away into the porous rock formation. F. In many instances, formation packers must be used to confine the fracture to the desired level, and to obtain the advantages of multiple fracturing. Development of Process As a necessary step in the development of this process, it was deemed advisable to determine if the Hydrafrac fluids were actually fracturing the formation or whether these special fluids were merely leaking away into the surrounding formation. To determine this, a shallow well, 15 feet deep, was drilled into a hard sandstone. Casing was set, the plug drilled, and the well deepened in the conventional manner. A fracturing fluid dyed a bright red was used to break down the formation. Sand mixed with distinctively colored solids was injected into the well with the fracturing fluid to prop open any fracture made in the formation. A simulated gel breaker solution dyed a bright blue was then pumped into the well to determine if the gel breaker would follow the first solution. The results are shown in Figure 1. It was noted that a fracture was formed about the well bore, that the propping agent was transported back into the break, and that the breaker solution did actually follow the fracturing gel out into the fracture. While it is realized that this shallow well test is probably not exactly equivalent to a deep test, the results were interpreted as being a definite indication of what happens down the hole during a Hydrafrac job. Of interest in this connection is an investigation reported by S. T. Yuster and J. C. Calhoun, Jr.' This study, re~orted after the Hydrafrac work was under way, presents some excellent field data supporting the theory of fracturing a formation with hydraulic pressure. METHOD Steps of Hydrafrcu: Process Figure 2 shows a simplified cross-sectional view of a well treated by one version of the process. The first step, formation breakdown, is done with a viscous fluid, usually consisting of an oil such as crude oil or gasoline, to which has been added a bodying agent. Due to availability and price, war-surplus Napalm has been used in the majority of experiments to date. Napalm is the soap which was used in the war to make "jellied gasoline". The next step consists of breaking down the viscosity of the gel by injecting a gel-breaker solution and then after several hours, putting the well back on production. Figure 3 shows diagram-matically, a typical field hookup. The oil or gasoline is unloaded into the 10 bbl. tank shown on the left rear of the truck. This base fluid is picked up by the mixing pump and pumped through the jet mixer, where the granular soap is added. Next it goes into a small mixing tub, from which the high-pressure pump takes suction. The solution is then pumped into the well. The breaker solution is then taken from an extra tank and is displaced into the well immediately following the gel. When required, additional trucks may

Jan 1, 1949

By C. F. Weinaug

In recent years, several methods have been proposed for correlation of physical properties and behavior of hydrocarbon systems. These correlations were found to be unsatis. factory for predicting differential gas liberation and shrinkage data now obtained experimentally. To achieve the desired accuracy, methods were developed to adjust the correlations with two experimental pieces of data. The required data are the saturation pressure at reservoir temperature and the specific volume or density at these conditions. The saturation pressure is used to adjust the vapor-liquid equilibrium-ratio correlations. The density measurement is used to determine the apparent density of liquid methane. With these adjustments, differential gas liberation and shrinkage are predicted within the experimental error. EQUILIBRIUM RATIOS Equilibrium ratios published by the National Gas Assn. of America' were used as a basis for the calculation. The convergence pressure for the sample was determined by using a hypothetical binary system, with methane as one component and the remainder of the system lumped together to form the other component. For the critical temperature of the heavy constituent, the weight average of the critical temperatures of the ethane and heavier components was used. The correlation of pseudo-critical temperature, density and molecular weight of Matthews, Roland and Katzl was used in this calculation for the hexane and heavier fractions. Points for the critical properties of methane and the hypothetical heavy constituent were placed on a chart of the critical loci of hydrocarbon systems. A critical loci for the hypothetical binary system was drawn, and the critical pressure of this system was determined at the reservoir temperature. This critical pressure became the convergence pressure for which equilibrium ratios were read from the NGAA4 charts. The NGAA equilibrium constants for C, through C, were used for the C,; through C, fractions since they were separated on the bases of normal paraffin boiling points. The correlation of Hoffman, Crump and Hocott5 as used to estimate the equilibrium constant for the C fraction. The NGAA eauilibrium-ratio charts are based primarily on paraffin systems and have to be corrected for the presence of naphthenes and aromatics. The correlations in the literature proved too unsatisfactory for determining these corrections. EXperimental data, the saturation pressure, is used with the correlation of Soloman2 to make this adjustment. The correction factors of Soloman were cross-plotted so that the factors for ethane and heavier components were made a function of the factor for methane. a2 = 0.7927 at + 0.1646 .........(1) where a, = correction coefficient for for methane NGAA equilibrium ratio, and a2t = correction coefficient for ethane and heavier NGAA equilibrium ratios. This equation and the equation for the bubble point are solved simultaneously for the correction coefficients. The bubble-point equation is anKnXn = 1.0 . . . . (2) The equilibrium constant for the saturation pressure at reservoir temperature is used. This procedure not only corrects for the relative volatility between components, but also assures that the results will be directly related to the experimental saturation pressure. METHANE DENSITY After determining a set of equilibrium ratios, the apparent density of condensed methane at 60°F and 14.7 psia was estimated. This was found to be necessary because the correlations of Standing3 ere found to be unsatisfactory. The law of additive volumes was employed to make this calculation.

By Herbert Haas

ChEap power is essential to large-scale mining and metallurgical operations, particularly where fine grinding of large tonnages has to be resorted to, as is the case with an increasing number of mines treating disseminated copper ores, or low-grade gold ores, in the grinding of which considerable power is consumed. A comparison of the cost of generating power with Diesel engines and steam turbines and a brief discussion of the different factors governing the profitable use of either type of prime mover may be timely in view of the importance of a cheap supply of power to the mining industry, and the prominence that has lately been given to Diesel engines in America. As many of our most important mines and largest producers of metals are located in sections where neither cheap coal nor water power is available, and the price of oil fuel is increased by long hauls, the Diesel engine will become a prime mover of increasing importance. This applies particularly to the Southwestern States, where an ample supply of cold water for condensing purposes is unusual and local climatological conditions interfere in securing the high vacua essential to high turbine efficiency. About 12 times as much water will be required for condensing purposes with steam turbines under general conditions as is needed for jacket-cooling of two-stroke cycle Diesel engines; four-stroke cycle Diesel engines require only one-twentieth of the cooling water. Another condition favoring the use of Diesel engines is the high load factor at which most mine power plants operate. The influence of load factor on the cost of generating power is shown in Tables 1. and 2 and in Fig. 1. The higher the cost of fuel and the load factor, the greater will be the proportion of the fuel to the other costs making up the total cost of generating power. Capital charges (interest and redemption), maintenance, operating labor, and lubrication are practically constant amounts regardless of the load-output of the station; the fuel consumption and its cost are practically the only variables with the load. The costs here given are based on conditions as generally found in the Southwestern States, and on Diesel engine operating experience in European countries, where this type of prime mover has reached a high state of perfection, units upward of 4,000 hp. having proved entirely successful in operation.

Jan 1, 1917

By Elliot P. Rexford

B. C. Burgess-—Prior to hearing this paper presented at the San Francisco meeting, I travelled by car from Yuma, Ariz., across south-central California and up through the San Joaquin Valley. After hearing the paper I returned by the coast route to San Diego then along the Mexican border to Yuma. The striking feature of these trips, related to this paper, was the dry river and creek beds at a time of year not the dry season. Contrasted with this was the wasteful use of water in irrigation canals and laterals. Poland says "at least 90 pct of the ground water pumped is used for irrigation." That being the case, it would appear that first consideration should be given to conservation of this use. Probably a small part of this is actually reaching the plants. Some measure of this loss between pump and crops would be revealing. Methods that might be employed to reduce this loss are pipe lines and spraying of some crops such as the banana planters are using in Central America. Another idea which might be investigated is to line canals and ditches with some water-repelling mineral like pyro-phyllite. Perhaps a comparatively thin sprayed-on

Jan 1, 1951