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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 H. J. Rose, J. J. S. Sebastian

When coal is stored under ordinary conditions, progressive changes take place in its chemical and physical properties. These changes are largely caused by the reaction of atmospheric oxygen with the coal substance. Although this "oxidation" or "weathering" occurs slowly in the case of high-rank coals, it is nevertheless a matter of considerable importance, since even a small amount of oxidation may affect the value of coal for carbonization purposes. Coal storage is a necessity at all carbonizing plants. In normal times there are about 5,000,000 tons in storage at by-product coke ovens and gas retorts in the United States, as compared with an annual throughput of about 75,000,000 tons. In other words, the average coal reserve at such plants is slightly less than one month's supply. However, owing to the cost of storage and recovery, coal is usually left in stockpile for as long a time as the management thinks advisable. Storage for six to eight months is common practice and is, in fact, a necessity at certain plants which obtain their coal by water routes that are closed during winter months. Modern by-product coke ovens operate continuously, and they are not cooled down from the time that they arc put into operation until they are shut down for rebuilding—perhaps 20 years later. This continuous operation is imposed by silica-brick construction and high operating temperatures. It is therefore obvious that coke plants must at all times maintain an adequate supply of stored coal, in order to prevent a failure in supply from any cause whatever. Thus when strikes or other emergencies threaten, abnormally large coal stocks are accumulated and held at coke and gas plants. Many of these plants have been forced, at some time or other, to use coal that has been stored for several years. Such coal may fail to coke at all, or it may produce a dirty appearing, weak coke of reduced value. The yields of salable by-products may also be distinctly lowered. However, it must not be assumed that slight oxidation or heat effects are always injurious. Certain high-volatile coals produce a stronger, blockier

Jan 1, 1930

Jan 1, 1923

By J. G. Richardson, J. W. Graham

The purpose of this paper is to present the results of theoretical and experimental studies of water imbibition. The imbibition processes are involved in recovery of oil from stratified and fractured-matrix formations in natural water drives and water flooding. An understanding of the role of inhibition in implementing the recovery of oil from such formations is deemed essential to proper control of these reservoirs to achieve maximum recovery. The theoretical studies involved development of the differential equations which describe the spontaneous imbibition of water by an oil-saturated rock. The dependence of the rate of water intake by the rock on the permeability, interfacial tension, contact angles, fluid viscosities and fluid saturatiorls is discussed. A few experiments were performed using core samples to determine the effects of core length and presence of a free gas suturation. The role of water imbibition in recovery of oil from a fractured-matrix reservoir by water flooding was investigated by use of a laboratory model. This model was scaled to represent one element of a frac-tured-matrix formation. Water floods were made at various rates with several fracture widths. Interpretations were made of the behavior expected in a system containing many matrix blocks. The presence of a free gas sntu.ration was found to reduce the rate of water imbibition. In the reservoir prototype of the fractured-matrix model, water imbibition rather than direct displacement by water was the dominant mechanism in the recovery of oil at low rates. INTRODUCTION Imbibition may be defined as the spontaneous taking up of a liquid by a porous solid. The spontaneous process of imbibition occurs when the fuid-filled solid is immersed or brought in contact with another fluid which preferentially wets the solid. In the process of wetting and flowing into the solid, the imbibing fluid displaces the non-wetting resident fluid. Common examples of this phenomenon are dry bricks soaking up water and expelling air, a blotter soaking up ink and expelling air and reservoir rock soaking up water and expelling oil. As increasingly better lithological descriptions have been made of the characteristics of petroleum-bearing formations, it has become obvious that imbibition phenomena which were once considered laboratory curiosities are of practical importance. For instance, in reservoirs composed of water-wet sand strata of different permeability in intimate contact, the tendency of water to channel through the more permeable stratum is offset by the tendency for water to imbibe into the tight sand and expel oil into the coarse sand. Also, in fractured-matrix formations the tendency of water to channel through the fractures is offset by water-wet matrix blocks. As some imbibition of the water into the of the largest fields in the world are fractured-matrix reservoirs, it has become increasingly important to understand all the factors involved in the imbibition process. Examples of fractured-matrix reservoirs are the Spraberry field in West Texas which produces from a fractured sandstone', the giant Kirkuk field in Iran', the Dukhan field in Qatar, Persian Gulf2, and the Masjid-I-Sula-main and the Haft-Kel fields in Southwestern Iran, which produce from fissured limestone3. Research into recovery of oil from fractured-matrix formations was stimulated by the rapid decline of oil productivity of wells in the Spraberry formation. One result of this research was the water imbibition process developed by the Atlantic Refining Co.4 Another idea was that much of the Spraberry oil could be recovered by conventional water-flooding procedures5. Subsequently, pilot floods were conducted in this field to test the feasibility of these ideas. It was felt that an understanding of the role played by imbibition processes in displacement of oil from a fractured-matrix reservoir could not be obtained from field data alone because of the many complicating factors and uncertainties involved. Therefore, theoretical and laboratory studies were undertaken to provide this understanding. Study of the equations which describe the linear, countercurrent imbibition process provided an insight into the role of various factors in the process, such as the permeability of rock and inter-facial tension. In addition to the theoretical studies, imbibition experiments were conducted with core samples to determine the effect on the rate of imbibition of such variables as core length and free gas saturation. The principal experimental studies were conducted by water flooding a scaled model of an clement of a frac-tu red-matrix reservoir to evaluate

To THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS GENTLEMEN: Herewith are transmitted the joint report of the Treasurer and Finance Committee for 1935 and the reports for the same year of the Chairmen of the following Committees: Admissions, Membership, Papers and Publications, Library, MINING AND METALLURGY, and Rocky Mountain Income. . To these reports you are referred for details of the year's activities. Finances. : Income continues to increase the total for the year 1935, being $141,754 compared with $134,967 in 1934, and $121,689 in 1933, which was the lowest reached during the depression. The principal increases were $2000 in Current Dues; $2400 in Dues from New Members; $2000 for Advertising in the monthly magazine MINING AND METAL¬LURGY; and $1600 in Sales of Authors' Reprints and TRANSACTIONS volumes. Income from Dues in Arrears was $1000 less as a consequence of the fact that arrearages had been largely reduced during 1934, so that there were fewer from which to draw.

Jan 1, 1936

By R. L. Rickett, S. H. Kalin, J. T. Mackenzie

Aluminum killed low carbon steel, § which is now used extensively for severe deep drawing or other difficult forming operations, is unusual in that its grain structure, after cold reduction and box annealing in accordance with conventional continuous sheet or strip mill practice, often is elongated, although at times it is equiaxed. Since this unusual structure has been found superior for many, but not all, severe forming operations, recrystallization of the steel, both at constant temperature and on continuous heating, was investigated and compared with that of rimmed steel in the hope that something might be learned about the mechanism of, and the factors controlling, the formation of such elongated grains. In this structure, the grains are elongated both in the lengthwise direction of the strip and transverse to this direction, even though nearly all of the extension in both hot and cold rolling is in the lengthwise direction. The grains are thus roughly pancake-shaped, being longer and wider than they are thick, as observed also by Burns and McCabe,1 and as illustrated by the typical structures shown in Fig 1. Fig la, representing a conventional longitudinal section, shows the length and thickness of the grains, whereas Fig Ib shows their length and width as seen by examining a section parallel to the sheet surface. Both illustrate the very irregular grain boundaries usually associated with the elongated grain shape. A finer equiaxed grain structure in this same grade is shown in Fig Ic. Either the elongated or the equiaxed structure may be present in the annealed product, and in rare instances the two types may coexist in a single specimen, as shown in Fig 1 d. Isothermal Recrystalliza-tion of Rimmed and Alamimum Killed Steel An aluminum killed steel known to have an elongated grain structure after conventional processing (Steel B, Table l), was selected for the initial recrystallization studies; for comparison, a rimmed steel, A in Table 1, was used. Samples of each in the form of hot rolled strip 0.075 and 0.095 in. thick, respectively, were cold rolled on a small laboratory mill in steps of about 0.010 in. per pass to obtain total reductions of 40 and 60 pct. Small pieces of the cold reduced strip were heated in lead at selected constant temperatures for one of several periods of time, then cooled in air. Rate of heating in the lead was, of course, very fast. Hardness of the cooled specimen was measured and a longitudinal section examined metallographically. Isothermal recrystallization curves for these two steels at 1050°F, based on hardness of the air cooled specimens, are shown in Fig 2 in which the amount of recrystallization corresponding to each plotted point is indicated. The marked difference in the behavior of these two types of steel is evident. After a corresponding amount of cold reduction, the rimmed steel recrys-tallizes in a much shorter time than the killed steel and the shape of its recrystallization curve, (plotted on a logarithmic time scale), is very different. The curve for rimmed steel indicates that recrystallization is analogous to isothermal transformation of aus-i.enite in that it proceeds at a progressively faster rate up to some 50 pct recrystallization, then at an increasingly slower rate. For the aluminum killed steel, however, the start of

Jan 1, 1950

By S. F. Emmons

It was said by many who discussed Professor Posepny's admirable paper on the "Genesis of Ore-Deposits," read at the Chicago meeting of the Institute, in 1893, that its most valuable feature was the clear distinction which it drew between the influence upon ore-deposits of the " vadose " circulation of waters descending directly from the surface, and that of the deep underground circulation of waters generally coming from the depths, and assumed by the author to be ascending through more or less open spaces under the influence of heat. A little later the effect of the oxidizing action of the vadose circulation upon ore-deposits was ably and exhaustively treated by Prof. R. A. F. Penrose, in a paper on " The Superficial Alteration of

Jan 1, 1901

By John R. Green

ROTARY kilns, varying in construction, are used in a variety of processes. Products differ and operating conditions vary according to economic requirements. All of these variables influence the degree of instrumentation and type of control necessary or profitable to install. Products fired in rotary kilns are the results of combined temperature and time treatment and the interrelation of these two factors should be kept constantly in mind in the perusal of this paper. MEASUREMENTS OF KILN TEMPERATURE The securing of proper temperatures within the rotary kiln, either of the charge or of the kiln lining in the high fire zone, are basic objectives of kiln operation; therefore the measurement of these high-temperature conditions merits first consideration. For these measurements, radiation pyrometers, properly designed and protected, have proved adequate, particularly where records or automatic control are desired, while optical pyrometers may serve as portable indicators. Light-sensitive devices or photoelectric cells in this service are capable of producing records as well as certain forms of automatic control. High-temperature measuring devices for rotary-kiln work should have the measuring unit protected from dust, as a continued accumulation of deposit would lower the readings. Fig. I shows a typical application of radiation equipment to a rotary kiln, mounted far enough away from the sighting hole through the kiln hood to be protected from puffs or stingouts and with a sighting tube having a series of settling chambers, to prevent dust from reaching the lens. Although dust conditions inside the kiln itself usually fluctuate considerably and have their effect upon the readings at that moment, such effects are not cumulative and show as a continuous fluctuation in the temperature indicated, provided the radiation unit and recorder are responsive to such slight and rapid temperature fluctuations. The ambient temperature to which a measuring unit is subjected fluctuates from possibly 0° to over 200°F., therefore these changes should have no effect upon the final reading or upon the life of the measuring unit. A very narrow sighting angle is desirable, so that measurement of temperature may be made as far as possible into the high fire zone without effect of the flame temperature. There should be some sighting means on the measuring unit, so that the proper field may be viewed. Measurement of wall temperature taken at a point where the charge has just left the wall is less affected by dusting conditions than when taken elsewhere. Factors Influencing Temperature Table I gives an outline of the factors that produce kiln temperatures and comments on the possibility of measurement and control. Of greater number and of varied influence are the factors that control when, where and how the heat is delivered to the kiln, the type of flame and the rate of

Jan 1, 1941

By E. O. Wagner, V. F. Parry, W. S. Landers

Following investigations by the Denver Bureau of Mines on drying fine coal in the entrained state, Texas Power & Light Co. employed the fluidized technique to upgrade Texas lignite for use in power plants. Because of the rapidly rising cost of natural gas in Texas the company agreed to cooperate with the Bureau of Mines in studying further the upgrading of lignite by low-temperature carbonization, since potential value of the tar would help off- set the cost of fuel. Considerable interest was aroused, therefore, when Aluminum Co. of America decided to use dried lignite in its 240,000-kw power plant at Rockdale, Texas, operated by Texas Power & Light. Carbonization of coal before burning in a power plant is not new. Plants in Germany have been operated for many years on carbonized brown coal and lignite briquets produced in large integrated plants. Large-scale experiments in carbonizing pulverized coal with hot flue gases were made 30 years ago at Milwaukee, and many inventors have proposed other processes. In the U. S., technical and economic problems have prevented successful operation of large plants on carbonized coal, but new techniques of handling solids in fluidized beds may overcome these difficulties, particularly if the higher volatile noncoking coals are used.

Jan 1, 1956

By Keith G. Wallace

Small scale open pit mining of the Lucky Mc property in the Gas Hills district of central Wyoming was started in the spring of 1954 and the first uranium ore went to Vitro's mill in Salt Lake City that July. Shortly after mining started it became apparent that accurate ore control for mining purposes would be an absolute requirement. A systematic drilling program was initiated in the spring of 1955, and has been continued up to the present time. Two main mining areas have been developed. Mine 1, at the site of the original ore discovery in the Gas Hills, covers a mineralized zone roughly 600 x 2800 ft. This orebody was outlined and developed by drill holes on 50-ft centers. Approximately 1300 holes were drilled in the area before preliminary mining plans were made and mineable reserves calculated. Reserve estimates were based almost entirely on chemical assays of drill hole samples.

Jan 10, 1958

By Thomas S. Bishop

From time to time the mining engineer will be faced with the necessity of having to make a haulage study to determine not only the most suitable method of hauling material but also the most effective and economical type of equipment to use for his particular operation. Specifically, this chapter outlines a general description of various types of haulage units and their components, guidelines on the selection of equipment, material both operational and cost wise to be accumulated, discussions on the various factors involved in the development of the estimated production and cost analysis, examples of the above, and the necessary reference material. This material and examples are given in such a form as to permit the engineer to proceed on almost a step-by-step basis in the determination of the applicable haul speeds and other related portions of the haul cycle and resulting number of trips per hour. In recent years, the analytical methods used for the application of the various haulage units have undergone a considerable change. Several vehicle manufacturers and a few of the mining companies employ electronic digital computers to speed up the calculations and improve the accuracy of production estimating. The haulage computer program simulates the travel of the vehicle over the described haul roads by calculating incremental velocities, travel times, and travel distances from the known torque vs. speed characteristics of the vehicle. This is, in a sense, a numerical integration of the vehicle's performance and, of course, varies for each and every application. These travel times are then combined with easily estimated fixed times such as loading, turning and dumping, spotting, and any indicated delay times, resulting in a total cycle time for the vehicle. Usually, the travel times comprise the major portion of the time cycle; therefore, the concise computerized calculations eliminate much of the guess work in estimating vehicle productivity. Field studies have correlated this analysis

Jan 1, 1968

By I. R. Kramer, P. D. Gorsuch, D. L. Newhouse

Although many methods have been suggested for the calculation of tensile strength and yield point from chemical composition, their usefulness has been limited to a particular cooling rate or section size. Further limitations have been imposed by failure to take into account many of the alloying elements that exert a considerable influence on the tensile strength or yield point. These systems, nevertheless, have filled an important need in many instances. The value of a system for the calculation of the tensile properties from the chemical composition and cooling rate is that it permits the prediction of the effect of alloying elements and heat-treatment on the mechanical properties, so that more efficient use of alloying elements may be made. Furthermore, it aids in the choice of steel for a given application aid tends to decrease the number of steels that otherwise would have to be tested. It is the purpose of this work to present a method of calculating tensile strength and yield point from the chemical composition and to suggest a method of correlating the tensile-strength and yield-point factors and cooling rate. Steelmakers have been interested for many years in the calculation of the tensile strength of hot-rolled steels. Quest and Washburn' summarize several of the attempts that have been made to devise formulas. They show the inadequacy of each of these formulas and present one of their own. It is apparent from their work that a simple additive equation of the type TS = A + BX + Cy + DZ + . . . , where A, B, C, D, etc. are experimentally determined constants and x, y, z, etc., are the percentages of alloying elements present in the steel, is not adequate to analyze fully the situation encountered in the calculation of tensile strength. For example, it was found that the difference between the calculated and observed values became progressively greater as the carbon and manganese contents were increased. Therefore, the effect of manganese was given as a function of the carbon content. Grossmann, in his work on the harden-ability of quenched steels, and Walter, in his method of calculation of tensile strength of normalized steels, present two cases in which multiplying factors were successfully used to express the combined effect of alloying elements. The factors in both cases were obtained from the fractional increase in hardenability or tensile strength with increase of alloy content. Yield point often is more important in design than tensile strength. For quenched and tempered steels a linear correlation exists between yield 2nd tensile strength.4 This is not true, however, for normalized

Jan 1, 1948

By P. D. Gorsuch, I. R. Kramer, D. L. Newhouse

Although many methods have been suggested for the calculation of tensile strength and yield point from chemical composition, their usefulness has been limited to a particular cooling rate or section size. Further limitations have been imposed by failure to take into account many of the alloying elements that exert a considerable influence on the tensile strength or yield point. These systems, nevertheless, have filled an important need in many instances. The value of a system for the calculation of the tensile properties from the chemical composition and cooling rate is that it permits the prediction of the effect of alloying elements and heat-treatment on the mechanical properties, so that more efficient use of alloying elements may be made. Furthermore, it aids in the choice of steel for a given application aid tends to decrease the number of steels that otherwise would have to be tested. It is the purpose of this work to present a method of calculating tensile strength and yield point from the chemical composition and to suggest a method of correlating the tensile-strength and yield-point factors and cooling rate. Steelmakers have been interested for many years in the calculation of the tensile strength of hot-rolled steels. Quest and Washburn' summarize several of the attempts that have been made to devise formulas. They show the inadequacy of each of these formulas and present one of their own. It is apparent from their work that a simple additive equation of the type TS = A + BX + Cy + DZ + . . . , where A, B, C, D, etc. are experimentally determined constants and x, y, z, etc., are the percentages of alloying elements present in the steel, is not adequate to analyze fully the situation encountered in the calculation of tensile strength. For example, it was found that the difference between the calculated and observed values became progressively greater as the carbon and manganese contents were increased. Therefore, the effect of manganese was given as a function of the carbon content. Grossmann, in his work on the harden-ability of quenched steels, and Walter, in his method of calculation of tensile strength of normalized steels, present two cases in which multiplying factors were successfully used to express the combined effect of alloying elements. The factors in both cases were obtained from the fractional increase in hardenability or tensile strength with increase of alloy content. Yield point often is more important in design than tensile strength. For quenched and tempered steels a linear correlation exists between yield 2nd tensile strength.4 This is not true, however, for normalized

Jan 1, 1948

By Walter C. Lawson

The primary objective in laying track in panel sections is to reduce the number of track laborers required. This is possible because the work is mechanized. Moreover, because the work is mechanized and each of the operations needs only a few men, and each is self-contained, the work can be carried on at night as well as in daylight; therefore, the method provides a means of preparing tracks on more than one shift. The laying of tracks in open pits and quarries in panel sections is not new but new methods have been made possible by the introduction of new types of equipment. The purpose of this paper is to describe the methods that are followed in the Morenci open pit. General Mining Operations Full-scale ore production at Morenci is about 50,000 tons daily. The normal yearly output of ore and waste is 32,000,000 tons, of which 30,000,000 tons is handled by rail haulage. This requires the building of approximately 47 miles of loading and other temporary tracks during a 12 months' period (Fig I). Broken ore and waste is loaded into 90-ton capacity dump cars with 5-cu-yd full-revolving electric shovels. Shovel banks are uniformly 50 ft high. They are blasted with churn drill holes and the broken material from a blast is loaded out with two shovel cuts, the first one being called (locally) the "splatter" cut and the second one the "clean-up" or "face-up" cut. When a shovel is making its clean-up cut, the loading track is about 70 ft from the toe of the bank and, under normal conditions, a bank is blasted against it without removing the track. It is thus evident that each track is used for two shovel cuts before relocation is necessary, inasmuch as a single position serves for both the clean-up cut prior to blasting and for the splatter cut following the blast. The normal advance of a solid bench by a single blast is 40 ft (Fig 2). Preparation OF Panel Grade In preparation of panel grades bulldozers and rooters are used for the bulk of the work and an auto-patrol road grader for the final stage. At Morenci, bulldozers have always been used for track-grade preparation, but before the introduction of the other two types of equipment grades were uneven and irregular at best, and always necessitated a big gang of track laborers to hand-block under the ties with rocks after a track was laid into place. High blocking also made poor track because of instability and caused frequent derailments. Under these conditions derailments were generally bad as re-railing became difficult. Much track was torn up and many tics broken in the process. The inadequacy of the hand-blocked track, together with the inefficiency of hand blocking, constantly pointed, to the desirability of reducing the amount of labor required, so various means were tried to improve conditions, such as wood

Jan 1, 1949

By L. C. Aycock, J. Hunter, P. M. Lyons

In view of the unfavorable discovery trend that has set in during the past few years, it seems permissible to infer that the large, more easily found crude reserves in Louisiana are now known. Without doubt, many new producing areas will be located, but in the light of development during the past few years the majority of new areas probably will be found at greater depths and from relatively poorer sands. f Although sufficient reserves exist in Louisiana to last at the present rate of production for a considerable period, additional reserves must be found in more intensive development of the presently known structures. In order to ensure the greatest ultimate recovery from such structures, the most advanced technical methods must be employed in their exploitation. Wherever possible, cycling and repressuring plants should be installed. 'here are presently in Louisiana, especially in south Louisiana, a great many fields that contain gas-condensate reservoirs. These reservoirs cannot be produced for their liquid hydrocarbon content under present conditions without wasting an enormous quantity of gas and creating underground waste. Although some of these reservoirs are being produced, such production must be considered in the nature of a salvage operation rather than as a sound economic proposition. Such reservoirs, however, can become profitable ven- tures through the use of cycling and repressuring plants. Cycling operations now operating in Louisiana have increased the ultimate recovery from gas-condensate reservoirs anywhere from 10 to 30 per cent. Cycling operations will also provide a considerable reserve of gas, without which Louisiana cannot hope to develop any program of industrialization. During the past year, Louisiana attained the rank of third among the oil-producing states of this country. With a proper program of exploitation and development, and with emphasis on conservation, Louisiana can maintain this position for a great many years. Production On Dec. 31, 1943, oil and/or gas were being. produced in 52 parishes, or 81 per cent of all the parishes in the state. Thirty-three of the parishes produced oil and gas, 14 produced oil, and 5 produced solely gas. Tensas Parish in north Louisiana and Assumption Parish in south Louisiana formerly contained no producing fields but during 1943 joined the ranks of the producing parishes. Twenty-three new fields, including one rediscovery, were found during 1943-—a rate of discovery almost comparable to that of the preceding year. Eleven of these new discoveries were either gas or gas-condensate fields. Thus, the trend of development in finding new reserves was also comparable to that of 1942. Many reasons of considerable merit have been advanced to account for the discouraging lack of crude-oil reserves found during the past year. None are, however, completely satisfactory.

Jan 1, 1944

By J. Hunter, P. M. Lyons, L. C. Aycock

In view of the unfavorable discovery trend that has set in during the past few years, it seems permissible to infer that the large, more easily found crude reserves in Louisiana are now known. Without doubt, many new producing areas will be located, but in the light of development during the past few years the majority of new areas probably will be found at greater depths and from relatively poorer sands. f Although sufficient reserves exist in Louisiana to last at the present rate of production for a considerable period, additional reserves must be found in more intensive development of the presently known structures. In order to ensure the greatest ultimate recovery from such structures, the most advanced technical methods must be employed in their exploitation. Wherever possible, cycling and repressuring plants should be installed. 'here are presently in Louisiana, especially in south Louisiana, a great many fields that contain gas-condensate reservoirs. These reservoirs cannot be produced for their liquid hydrocarbon content under present conditions without wasting an enormous quantity of gas and creating underground waste. Although some of these reservoirs are being produced, such production must be considered in the nature of a salvage operation rather than as a sound economic proposition. Such reservoirs, however, can become profitable ven- tures through the use of cycling and repressuring plants. Cycling operations now operating in Louisiana have increased the ultimate recovery from gas-condensate reservoirs anywhere from 10 to 30 per cent. Cycling operations will also provide a considerable reserve of gas, without which Louisiana cannot hope to develop any program of industrialization. During the past year, Louisiana attained the rank of third among the oil-producing states of this country. With a proper program of exploitation and development, and with emphasis on conservation, Louisiana can maintain this position for a great many years. Production On Dec. 31, 1943, oil and/or gas were being. produced in 52 parishes, or 81 per cent of all the parishes in the state. Thirty-three of the parishes produced oil and gas, 14 produced oil, and 5 produced solely gas. Tensas Parish in north Louisiana and Assumption Parish in south Louisiana formerly contained no producing fields but during 1943 joined the ranks of the producing parishes. Twenty-three new fields, including one rediscovery, were found during 1943-—a rate of discovery almost comparable to that of the preceding year. Eleven of these new discoveries were either gas or gas-condensate fields. Thus, the trend of development in finding new reserves was also comparable to that of 1942. Many reasons of considerable merit have been advanced to account for the discouraging lack of crude-oil reserves found during the past year. None are, however, completely satisfactory.

Jan 1, 1944

By C. B. Post, D. G. Schoffstall

A determinatioil of the hydrogen content of molten steel by means of the Vacuum-extraction method, as reported here, consists in first casting a sample of the bath in a bomb, so that the gases evolved during solidification are trapped for analysis. A portion of the cast steel sample is then prepared and heated at a temperature of 600" to 800°C. under high vacuum, and the gaser given off during this vacuum extraction (which are shown to be hydrogen), are collected and measured. Analysis of the gases evolved on solidification and the gases in the solid sample enables an accurate determination of hydrogen in the molten steel. Fig. I shows the bomb and accessories that have been found suitable for trapping the gases evolved on solidification. The bomb is made of scamless steel pipe, approximately 7 in. long by 136 in. i.d., and welded at the bottom. An ordinary pipe cap has a vacuuni-type metal stopcock threaded and brazed in its upper end. This pipe cap fits onto the bomb by means of machined threads. A flange is brazed to the pipe at the point where the cap starts to tighten up, and a rubber gasket is placed between the flange and cap. Heavy vacuum grease is used between the flange and gasket and the gasket and cap. The weight of the complete bomb and it? interval volume is known before the sample is cast. In practice, a sample of about 400 grams of steel is poured into the bomb, the funnel quickly swung out of the way, the bomb cap spun down the threads and tightened against the gasket, and the bomb set in a pail of water to keep the gasket and vacuum grease cool. It is estimated that at least 80 per cent 01 the gases evolved from the liquid sample during solidification are trapped in the bomb."

Jan 1, 1945

By M. E. Wadsworth, R. L. Pearson

THE dissolution of UO, in carbonate solutions can occur only il the tetravalent uranium is oxidized to the hexavalent state. The carbonate system is of particular interest because it provides a means whereby the oxidized uranium may be dissolved by forming the complex ion UO,(CO3)3-1. In the presence of oxygen the over-all reaction may be written UO+1/2O,4CO3T+2HCO2UO,(CO4)11+H2O [1] UO, was used in this study because it could be obtained in high purity and also because it is representative of the most refractory of the primary uranium minerals. The mineral ulrichite is the natural counterpart of the synthetic UO, used. The kinetics of the leaching of UO, should be similar for any of the uraninite type minerals. A pressurized system was used not with the hope it could be extended to commercial systems as a primary purpose but simply to provide the means whereby important temperature and pressure parameters could be varied for the evaluation of the kinetic processes. The importance of such pres-

Jan 1, 1959

By George A. Grandy, D. W. Fuerstenau

Simulation of nonlinear grinding systems is discussed in the context of the size-discretized batch-grinding model. A linear approximation of environment-dependent (or nonlinear) selection functions is postulated for systems which exhibit feed grinding orders less than unity. For this, a convex linear combination of zero and first-order selection function forms is used to obtain an analytical solution that can be used for simulation. An example in which marked nonlinear behavior occurs is rod-mill grinding. Accordingly, a series of grinding experiments was carried out in a batch laboratory rod mill to test these techniques; agreement between experiment and the model was found to be very good. Recently, significant progress has been made in the simulation of linear grinding systems by using a population balance mathematical model. Herbst and Fuer-stenaul presented a parameter estimation scheme that can be used with the size-discretized batch-grinding model, and Gumtz and Fuerstenau3 have extended these techniques to the simulation of locked-cycle grinding. Grandy et aL." summarized the simulation of linear systems and noted important alternate solutions to the batch-grinding equation. Kelsall et a1.'-" discussed the dynamic simulation of linear batch grinding, as well as linear open and closed-circuit grinding. In all of these, the key word is linear, which certainly restricts the engineer trying to simulate a variety of grinding systems. This paper discusses an approach for the simulation of non-linear grinding systems, particularly those which exhibit grinding orders less than unity. Experimentally, dry rod-mill grinding is used to evaluate the technique presented. Batch Grinding Model The size-discretized batch-grinding model has been discussed in detail by Mika et al.'.' and by Herbst and Fuerstenau,' and therefore, will only be briefly developed here. The model is formulated by making a differential mass balance of each size fraction in such a manner that the equation parameters are precisely defined in terms of selection and breakage functions,' which can be either calculated'.' or estimated1 from experimental data. The model is phenomenological because it averages all stress-application events in the system and, therefore, does not distinguish the manner in which individual particles are stressed.' For this average environment, the resistance of all particles in a size fraction to breakage is defined by that size-frac-tion's selection function; and when fracture occurs from an average event, the breakage product size distribution is defined again by that size-fraction's breakage function. The model is deterministic and is derived in terms of a continuous time variable and a discretized size variable,' i.e., the n mass fractions associated with the n defined size intervals (see Table 1 for nomenclature).

Jan 1, 1971

By C. E. Lawall

WHEN this study was started very little information was available, regarding the physical characteristics of West Virginia coals. This was particularly true of friability and of crushing strengths of the coals. Some work had been done on specific gravity studies but the available information applied to only a few coals. In practically all coal-classification systems thus far proposed, the predominating factors of classifications are largely based on the chemical characteristics of the coal. Recently some investigators have pointed out that a classification based on chemical and physical properties of coal might serve to place coals in their proper group better than classification systems based on chemical properties alone. One of the aims of this study was to obtain some data on the physical properties of coal which might help to properly classify West Virginia coals.

Jan 1, 1932