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By M. R. Tek, K. H. Coats, D. L. Katz

The nature and the limits of validity of Darcy's law US applied to the flow of natural gas through reservoirs has been considered in order to resolve some controversial aspects of the effect of turbulence on pressure drops. The equivalence between various concepts and viewpoints advanced in the past by several investigators to explain how and why a gas well does not necessarily perform according to Darcy's law is shown. Starting with generalized equations of flow of fluids through porous media, a partial differential equation has been derived which accurately represents the flow at all rates. This equation has been numerically solved using an IBM 704 digital computer. The results permit plots of unsteady radial pressure distribution curves from which specific isochronal backpressure curves may be constructed. These back-pressure curves show the effect of the ,8 factor on the slope of the back-pressure curve. The calculations further indicate that the drainage radius for a gas well in turbulent flow propagates at a rate dependent upon the rate of production at the wellbore. This is quite different from the case with liquid flow or natural-gas flow in laminar regime. Additionally, the effect of reservoir inhomogeneities and crossflow between layers of different permeability on the back-pressure performance of gas wells has been conridered. In light of the current numerical results the significance and linlitation of the rate of flow function Y proposed by Smith" has been discussed. INTRODUCTION The relationship between the pressure drop and flow rate in problems of fluid flow through porous media is known to be affected by the nature of flow through the porous matrix. It has been observed by many that, for a range of flow rates, the pressure drop remains proportional to the rate of flow. When some flow rate is reached, however, it is usually observed that the pressure drop gradually begins to increase more than proportionally to the flow rate. It is well known that this phenomenon was first observed by Osborne Reynolds in 1901 in experimenting with flow through pipes. In his classical experiments, Reynolds made visual observations on the condition of streamlines evidenced by injecting a dye into water flowing through glass tubes. In these experiments, the abrupt transition between steady, "streamline, laminar" flow and unsteady random turbulent flow was found to be a function of the dimensionless group (Dvp/u), now known as the Reynolds number. During these experiments, in addition to observations on the nature of flow regimes, the proportionality between flow rate and pressure drop in laminar flow was contrasted with the nonlinearity between these variables in turbulent flow. Fancher and Lewis' reported data on various consolidated and unconsolidated sands in 1933. Their conclusions were that ". . . the flow of fluids through these porous materials closely resembles that through pipes; that there is a condition of flow in porous systems which resembles viscous flow, another which corresponds to turbulent; that the change from one type to the other takes place at a definite and reproducible condition for each system". In 1947, Brownell and Katz published a method to predict the laminar and turbulent flow behavior from the particle size, bed porosity and the particle sphericity, employing the friction factor-Reynolds number charts for pipes. Several investigators have verified the work of Fancher, Lewis and Barnes and presented their data as friction factor-vs-Reynolds number plots.' The equation which would represent the pressure gradient over the whole range of velocity must have an added term over that represented by Darcy's law. Accordingly, the pressure gradient necessary to sustain flow at the velocity (v) through a porous medium may be represented by the following equation, suggested by Forscheimer." The nature and the range of validity of Darcy's law has been the subject of studies by many investigators over the past years. While everyone seemed to agree on the need for a quadratic correction term to Darcy's law to make it effective over the range of velocities, the concept of inception of turbulence and the use of the term "turbulent flow" remained controversial. Some fluid dynamicists define turbulence as a flow

By E. W. Filer, L. S. Darker

ONE of the primary purposes of this investigation was to determine how far blast-furnace metal and slag depart from equilibrium, particularly with respect to sulphur distribution. In studying the equilibrium between blast-furnace metal and slag, there are two approaches that can be used. One method is to use synthetic slags, as was done by Hatch and Chipman;' the other is to equilibrate the metal and slag from the blast furnace by remelting in the laboratory. In the set of experiments here reported, metal and slag tapped simultaneously from the same blast furnace were used for all the runs. The experiments were divided into two groups: 1—a time series at each of three different temperatures to determine the t.ime required for metal and slag to equilibrate in various respects under the experimental conditions of remelting, and 2—an addition series to determine the effect of additions to the slag on the equilibrium between the metal and slag. An atmosphere of carbon monoxide was used to simulate blastfurnace conditions. The furnace used for this investigation was a vertically mounted tubular Globar type with two concentric porcelain tubes inside the heating element. The control couple was located between the two porcelain tubes. The carbon monoxide atmosphere was introduced through a mercury seal at the bottom of the inner tube. On top, a glass head (with ground joint) provided access for samples and a long outlet tube prevented air from sucking back into the furnace. The charge used was iron 6 g, slag 5 g for the time series, or iron 9 g, slag 7 % g for the addition series. This slag-to-metal ratio of 0.83 approximates the average for blast-furnace practice, which commonly ranges from about 0.6 to 1.1. A crucible of AUC graphite containing the above charge was suspended by a molybdenum wire in the head and, after flush, was lowered to the center of the furnace as shown in Fig. 1. The cylindrical crucible was 2 in. long x % in. OD. The furnace was held within &3"C of the desired temperature for all the runs. The temperature was checked after the end of each run by flushing the inner tube with air and placing a platinum-platinum-10 pct rhodium thermocouple in the position previously occupied by the crucible; the temperature of the majority of the runs was much closer than the deviation specified above. The couple was checked against a standard couple which had been calibrated at the gold and palladium points, and against a Bureau of Standards couple. The carbon monoxide atmosphere was prepared by passing COz over granular graphite at about 1200°C. It was purified by bubbling through a 30 pct aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide and passing through ascarite and phosphorus pentoxide. The train and connections were all glass except for a few butt joints where rubber tubing was used for flexibility. The rate of gas flow was 25 to 40 cc per min. As atmospheric pressure prevailed in the furnace, the pressure of carbon monoxide was only slightly higher than the partial pressure thereof in the bosh and hearth zones of a blast furnace—by virtue of the elevated total pressure therein. Simultaneous samples of blast-furnace metal and slag were taken for these remelting experiments. The composition of each is given in the first line of Table I. There is considerable uncertainty as to the significant temperature in a blast furnace at which to compare experimental results. This uncertainty arises not only from lack of temperature measurements in the furnace, but also from lack of knowledge of the zone where the slag-metal reactions occur. (Do they occur principally at the slag-metal interface in the crucible, or as the metal is descending through the slag, or even higher as slag and metal are splashing over the coke?) The known temperatures are those of the metal at cast, which averages about 2600°F, and of the cast or flush slag, which is usually about 100°F hotter. To bridge this uncertainty, remelting temperatures were chosen as 1400°, 1500" (2732°F), and 1600°C. For the time series the duration of remelt was 1, 2, 4, 8, 17, or 66 hr; crucible and contents were quenched in brine. The addition series were quenched by rapidly transferring the crucible and contents from the furnace to a close-fitting copper "mold." Of incidental interest here is the fact that the slag wet the crucible

Jan 1, 1953

THE 144th* meeting of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers was held in New York, Feb. 18 to 21, 1935. It consisted of the annual business meeting, 45 technical sessions at which 216 papers were presented (approximately the same number of sessions and papers as at the previous annual meeting), two sessions of the Board of Directors, three meetings of Section delegates, two formal lectures and two addresses, luncheon Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for members and guests, six group dinners and eight group luncheons, ten committee meetings, the annual reception and dinner dance, an informal dance, a smoker-dinner and the annual meeting of the Woman's Auxiliary. Attendance was generally greater than for the two preceding meetings; the statistics follow (figures are in the order 1935-1934-1933); total registration, 1609-1534-1475; dinner dance, 577-543-426; dinner-smoker, 490-425-394; informal dance, 279-295-250; women's registration, 179-160-133; general luncheons, 1132-1034-734. The Coal Division held two general sessions on Monday and a symposium on coal-mine ventilation on Tuesday morning. The Committee on Bituminous Planning, Edward Steidle, chairman, presented a report at the Monday morning session. C. B. Huntress, President of Appalachian Coals, Inc., was the principal speaker at the luncheon on Monday, at which Eli T. Conner, Chairman of the Division, presided. Mr. Huntress was preceded by Howard N. Eavenson, President of the Institute, who spoke briefly. The Sectional Committee on Classification of Coal met Wednesday afternoon. A feature of the meeting concerning three Divisions-Iron and Steel, Institute of Metals, Petroleum-was the symposium on Use of Metals in the Petroleum Industry, Thursday morning and afternoon. Five of the papers presented at this symposium have been published in METALS TECHNOLOGY'. Another feature, of general interest, was the Tuesday morning session in the Auditorium, devoted to Federal Government and Mineral Industries. Dr. C. K. Leith delivered the principal address, on "A, Mineral Policy for the United. States." . The Institute of Metals Division held technical sessions Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday. morning and afternoon and on Thursday

Jan 1, 1936

By C. D. Rubert, W. J. Parton

LARGE quantities of fine anthracite with associated impurities are discharged with the waste water from the coal-cleaning plants in the Pennsylvania anthracite region. Furthermore, for many years this fine material has accumulated and formed silt banks. The difficulty of removing the impurities from the fine material and the lack of adequate markets are responsible for the waste of this material. In view of a larger demand for fine coal, mainly for pulverized fuel, the Lehigh Navigation Coal Co. Inc. decided to investigate the froth flotation process for recovery of fine coal from these waste solids. A test plant was constructed and operated for six months during 1942 in order to determine the practicability of recovering coal from the waste water of a cleaning plant (breaker) by froth flotation, and to obtain operating data for designing a commercial plant if the results were favorable. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION Before the pilot plant was constructed information was obtained by field and small-scale laboratory tests to serve as a guide in the design and operation of the pilot plant. Size and ash analyses of a representative sample of the material discharged in the wash water from a cleaning plant are given in Table I. [ ] The refuse content increases progressively as the size of the particles decreases. The larger particles (+35 m.) are low in ash content and could be marketed without cleaning. Since these solids are discharged from the breakers with 90 to 95 per cent water by weight, the first step in the recovery of the coal was that of reducing the quantity of water so that water in excess will not have to be handled. Furthermore, it was found that the removal of most of the minus 200 mesh high-ash material was desirable to permit the most efficient flotation of the coal. Classification tests were run and showed that a hydroseparator overflow rate of 12 ft. per hour was sufficient to eliminate much of the minus 200-mesh material while allowing the coarser material to settle and be thickened.

Jan 1, 1944

By H. A. J. Wilkens, H. B. C. Nitze

At the Atlanta meeting of the Institute in October,' 1895, some brief remarks were made by Mr. Wilkens on the above subject. It is the object of this paper to set forth the substance of these previous statements, embodying therewith additional information gained since that time, and a brief illustrated description of the method and means of the separation.* Lack of time will unfortunately not allow as complete a resume of the subject in all its phases, especially those relating to the scientific side of the question, as its novelty and importance would warrant, so that even this paper must be considered a preliminary one. It is hoped that at some future meeting of the Institute we may find an opportunity of presenting supplementary data of interest. The paradoxical title above used requires some explanation. The term " non-magnetic material " is applied to such substances as have heretofore been considered non-magnetic in the arts, more especially in the practice of ore-concentration. Scientifically, it has been shown by Faraday, Plucker, Wiedemann and other physicists that magnetism is an inherent property common to all substances, solid, liquid and gaseous, i.e., all suhstances are either attracted or repelled by the poles of a magnet, although ill the great majority of cases the manifestation of this

Jan 1, 1897

By W. M. Rust, W. D, D. W. Mounce

The almost universal acceptance of electrical logging by the petroleum industry calls for a critical examination of the physical bases of the common methods. This is particularly needed for the natural potential log. The conventional explanations are based on the phenomena of electrofiltration and electro-osmosis. However, experimental data show that they fail to give a basis that is quantitatively sound. Moreover, they lead to interpretations of details of electrical logs that are erroneous. It was found experimentally that when a plug of shale is placed in a chain of dissimilar electrolytes, a current flow results. Experiments on oil-well cores and fluids similar to those existing in wells show that potentials are set up which are in reasonable agreement with those encountered in electrical logging. Doubtless other sources of potential are important but this explanation not only accounts for much of the potential but also clarifies some fairly familiar examples of misinterpretations. Introduction The extraordinary value of electrical well logging as a tool for petroleum engineers and geologists is now so uni- versally recognized that it is not necessary to point out the ways in which it can be useful. It is sufficient to mention only the saving that has resulted from the elimination of much coring that would have been necessary under former practices and the considerable additions to reserves resulting from the discovery of sands missed in coring. Paradoxically, the very remarkable success that has resulted from the application of electrical logging to correlation and completion problems has cost some of its most consistent users dearly.' The fact that some operators have placed unwarranted faith in erroneous interpretations of electrical logs does not reduce the value of the logs. It should, however, make one pause long enough to ask why experienced users should be misled. The answer to this question is not hard to find. In nearly every case, the fault has been oversimplification. This is illustrated very aptly by the familiar interpretation and theory of the natural potential log. Recording and Interpreting Logs The natural potential log is extremely simple to record precisely enough for all present-day uses. One needs only an electrode, a cable to lower the electrode through the drilling mud, a recording meter and a surface ground connection. The electrode can be elaborate but need not be. A simple brass rod 2 in, in diameter and 2 or 3 in. long is quite satisfactory. The cable need not be particularly well insulated, nor need it have a very low resistance. The recorder can be a vacuum-tube 1 References are at the end of the paper.

Jan 1, 1944

By Arthur L. Christenson, Clarence E. Jackson

IN the establishment of the relationship between weldability and hardenability, two methods have been employed in correcting for the grain growth produced in the heat-affected zone: first, the hardenability calculated from chemical composition1 may be corrected to the grain size observed in an actual weld,2 or, second, a hardenability test may be made on the steel quenched from a temperature high enough to produce a grain size comparable to that found in the heat-affected zone.3 In order to obtain grain sizes in the end-quench hardenability bar comparable to those resulting in the base metal from the welding cycle, a quenching temperature of 2100°F. has been used. In studies of the end-quench hardenability specimen quenched from 2100°F. instead of from a lower temperature of 1700°F., it is important to ascertain the relative cooling rates for various distances along the bar. It is a question as to whether the cooling occurs at the same rate or whether there is any significant difference from the standard cooling-rate curve published by Jominy and confirmed by others.4,5 This paper reports experimental evidence concerning the effect of quenching temperature on the cooling rates in the end-quench hardenability test. The effect of quenching temperatures on cooling rates has been studied by a number of investigators.6,7 French has considered this effect from both theoretical and experimental aspects. In French's studies on complete quenching of spheres and rounds, an increase in the quenching temperature caused an increase in the cooling rate at 720°C. at the center of the specimen. The center cooling velocity also has been shown to be dependent upon the surface per unit volume for the type of specimens studied; the velocity of cooling increases with an increase in the surface per unit volume. Three methods of indicating the rapidity of cooling of a body of metal during a quenching operation have been proposed: I. The time it takes for the metal to cool from the quenching temperature to a temperature halfway between the quenching. temperature and the temperature of the quenching medium (half-temperature time): Grossmann, Asimow and Urban7 justify the use of this criterion by the fact that the half-temperature time includes the temperature and time of incubation as well as the zone of formation of pearlite and, further, the data so derived accord very closely with experimental values. 2. The time interval the metal remains in a given temperature range; for example,

Jan 1, 1943

By W. D, D. W. Mounce, W. M. Rust

The almost universal acceptance of electrical logging by the petroleum industry calls for a critical examination of the physical bases of the common methods. This is particularly needed for the natural potential log. The conventional explanations are based on the phenomena of electrofiltration and electro-osmosis. However, experimental data show that they fail to give a basis that is quantitatively sound. Moreover, they lead to interpretations of details of electrical logs that are erroneous. It was found experimentally that when a plug of shale is placed in a chain of dissimilar electrolytes, a current flow results. Experiments on oil-well cores and fluids similar to those existing in wells show that potentials are set up which are in reasonable agreement with those encountered in electrical logging. Doubtless other sources of potential are important but this explanation not only accounts for much of the potential but also clarifies some fairly familiar examples of misinterpretations. Introduction The extraordinary value of electrical well logging as a tool for petroleum engineers and geologists is now so uni- versally recognized that it is not necessary to point out the ways in which it can be useful. It is sufficient to mention only the saving that has resulted from the elimination of much coring that would have been necessary under former practices and the considerable additions to reserves resulting from the discovery of sands missed in coring. Paradoxically, the very remarkable success that has resulted from the application of electrical logging to correlation and completion problems has cost some of its most consistent users dearly.' The fact that some operators have placed unwarranted faith in erroneous interpretations of electrical logs does not reduce the value of the logs. It should, however, make one pause long enough to ask why experienced users should be misled. The answer to this question is not hard to find. In nearly every case, the fault has been oversimplification. This is illustrated very aptly by the familiar interpretation and theory of the natural potential log. Recording and Interpreting Logs The natural potential log is extremely simple to record precisely enough for all present-day uses. One needs only an electrode, a cable to lower the electrode through the drilling mud, a recording meter and a surface ground connection. The electrode can be elaborate but need not be. A simple brass rod 2 in, in diameter and 2 or 3 in. long is quite satisfactory. The cable need not be particularly well insulated, nor need it have a very low resistance. The recorder can be a vacuum-tube 1 References are at the end of the paper.

Jan 1, 1944

By E. H. Dix

During an investigation of high-strength manganese bronze by til Engineering Division of the Air Service, at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, particles of a "blue constituent" were noted in the microstructure of most of the bronzes examined. The constitution of the simple copper-zinc base alloy is still a matter of dispute in spite of the fact that the copper-zinc series is one of the oldest industrially important groups of alloys, and has received thc carly co~l+itlcl-ntio11 of scirntific rcsc:trch. Thc diagram, according to the rnost rcrent \vork.' IS shown in Fig. 1. The disputed questions involve the tcrmi~r:~tiorl of the beta field and the lint at 470' C. The parliest expc~imc>ntcr, Rol)erts--~1~11stcri, detectrd an arrest in some of his cooling curves :it approximately this temperature and ascribed them to the formation of a cutectic; it has since been proved that there arc no eutectics in this series. Shepherd? was unable to detect any thermal arrests at this temperature, his. diagram was essentially as shown in Fig. 1, except that the line at 470" ('. was omitted and the beta phase carried down to normal temperature. 1,:ttcr. carpenter and Edwards, by a very painstaking research, definitely established the authenticity of the line but attributed it to the breakdown of the BETA constituent into a cutectoid of alpha and gamma. microscopic evidence of the formation of the cutectoid is doubtful and it seems more likely to he due to an allo-tropic change in the beta constituent as shown by Fig. 1. At least for practical purpose?, it is more convenient to think of the structure of a 60-40 brass as a mixture of alpha and beta prime crystals rather thin alpha plus an unresoluble eutectoid of "apparent beta" as it has often been called. * Chief, Metals branch, Engineering Division, Air Service. 1 0. F. Hudson: Jnl. Inst. of hlvtals (1913) 12, 2 E. S. Shepherd: Jnl. Phys Chrm. (10141 8, 421. H. C. H. Carpenter and O. A. Edwards: Jnl, Inst. of Metals (1911) 5, 127.

Jan 1, 1923

By Charles H. Behre

This paper discusses education and training for economic geologists other than petroleum geologists. Candidates enter economic geology through liberal arts colleges, engineering schools and university graduate study. Whatever their backgrounds, rigorous courses are desirable—now conceded in theory, but not adequately recognized in practice. Besides basic sciences (each studied long enough to give a fair comprehension of its basic tenets), a functional command of English and two modern foreign languages is needed, as well as a broad understanding of mining, milling and metallurgy. A year of economics and finance is recommended. Surveying and drafting are essential skills. Yet geology should be represented in each term; otherwise the initial enthusiasm for the science, once contact is broken, may never be regained. A five-year curriculum is thus designed to take care of all major requirements and culminate in the M. S. degree. This curriculum reduces "cultural" courses below the average liberal arts requirements, but this is regarded as necessary. The pursuit of "culture" is assigned, as in most engineering and medical curricula, to extra college years or extracurricular time. To avoid the danger of over-crowding the schooling, the Doctorate in geology is preferred wherever possible. Its two added years should permit wider professional education; more browsing in "cultural" pastures; due attention to broader social implications; and some training in the research now increasingly required of the mineral industry. "In-course" training through cooperation between school and industry is especially advo- cated. The Institute should take the initiative in stimulating this practice. Introduction Training a student in geology for a career in the mineral industry is still a moot question, one that is likely to be looked at from many different angles, each of which will reflect the background of the individual considering it. From what follows, the training of petroleum geologists is omitted since, although theirs is an equally important phase of economic geology, it is based upon different essentials. The general subject was recently effectively discussed, but from a somewhat different viewpoint, by Professor McKinstry.' The practical problems that confront the young mining geologist are highly varied and in the eyes of his employer apparently almost any demands seem justified. The mining executive wants from the mining geologist results related mainly to overall operations, reports or forecasts that are largely recordable on paper and chiefly in terms of "discovery thinking." The local mining engineer may have many specific questions of his own, chiefly relating to details of geology that apply to mining practice, which he will address to the mining geologist; these usually deal with production quantities; frequently also they necessitate the immediate handling of pressing but apparently minor matters: shall the drill be moved; how soon will we encounter the watercourse which made so much trouble for us above? The client employing a consultant often wants advice or good judg-

Jan 1, 1949

By William B. Senseman

For reasons well known to mining engineers, wet grinding is quite universal in plants having to do with the extraction of metallic values from crude ores. In the processing of the nonmetallic and industrial minerals, dry grinding is the more common method. The crude materials usually contain less moisture than is required for wet grinding and the products usually are marketed in dry form; most of them as powders. To grind wet, therefore, would entail the addition of water and an expense for drying the product, which is not justified. Furthermore, the material would be a dried cake that would still have to be pulverized or disintegrated before use. For producing fine products, air separators have largely replaced the earlier practice of sizing with screens and bolting reels. Mills in which the air-separating feature is an integral part of the design are now commonplace. Mill designs are many and air systems have developed along various lines, but for the purpose of this discussion, only the fundamental idea need be emphasized— the idea of using air for sizing and removing pulverized material from a grinding mill. About 20 years ago, when the use of mills equipped with air separation had become common practice, heated air or gas was introduced to such a system for the removal of moisture. The purpose of this discussion is to outline the developments and trends that have followed this experiment. It is an important development, for mills equipped with air separation are now universally used for pulverizing not only nonmetallic and industrial minerals, but a great variety of other materials. All such mills are essentially the same. Dried material is pulverized, removed by an air stream, trapped in a cyclone collector, and relatively clean air from the cyclone is returned through a fan to the mill. There is no theoretical need for a vent from the system. The practical need is to vent the air that leaks into the system, and, since the cyclone is not 100 per cent efficient as a dust collector, this vented air carries some dust with it. The initial attempt at drying was made on a system like that described, by the addition of a furnace. The minus pressure within the mill draws hot gas from the furnace. Infiltration air, along with the drying gases and evaporated moisture, is vented as before. The first application was made to a mill used for pulverizing coal. The coal contained very little moisture, so very little drying effect was needed for the success of this experiment. Actually, some calculated efficiencies of over 100 per cent were obtained before due allowance was made for the conversion of mill power into useful heat. When moisture is low, the heat obtained from the conversion of mill power is an appreciable part of that required. That drying can be effected in the short time interval available in a grinding mill of this type is better understood by visual-

Jan 1, 1947

By Charles H. Behre

This paper discusses education and training for economic geologists other than petroleum geologists. Candidates enter economic geology through liberal arts colleges, engineering schools and university graduate study. Whatever their backgrounds, rigorous courses are desirable—now conceded in theory, but not adequately recognized in practice. Besides basic sciences (each studied long enough to give a fair comprehension of its basic tenets), a functional command of English and two modern foreign languages is needed, as well as a broad understanding of mining, milling and metallurgy. A year of economics and finance is recommended. Surveying and drafting are essential skills. Yet geology should be represented in each term; otherwise the initial enthusiasm for the science, once contact is broken, may never be regained. A five-year curriculum is thus designed to take care of all major requirements and culminate in the M. S. degree. This curriculum reduces "cultural" courses below the average liberal arts requirements, but this is regarded as necessary. The pursuit of "culture" is assigned, as in most engineering and medical curricula, to extra college years or extracurricular time. To avoid the danger of over-crowding the schooling, the Doctorate in geology is preferred wherever possible. Its two added years should permit wider professional education; more browsing in "cultural" pastures; due attention to broader social implications; and some training in the research now increasingly required of the mineral industry. "In-course" training through cooperation between school and industry is especially advo- cated. The Institute should take the initiative in stimulating this practice. Introduction Training a student in geology for a career in the mineral industry is still a moot question, one that is likely to be looked at from many different angles, each of which will reflect the background of the individual considering it. From what follows, the training of petroleum geologists is omitted since, although theirs is an equally important phase of economic geology, it is based upon different essentials. The general subject was recently effectively discussed, but from a somewhat different viewpoint, by Professor McKinstry.' The practical problems that confront the young mining geologist are highly varied and in the eyes of his employer apparently almost any demands seem justified. The mining executive wants from the mining geologist results related mainly to overall operations, reports or forecasts that are largely recordable on paper and chiefly in terms of "discovery thinking." The local mining engineer may have many specific questions of his own, chiefly relating to details of geology that apply to mining practice, which he will address to the mining geologist; these usually deal with production quantities; frequently also they necessitate the immediate handling of pressing but apparently minor matters: shall the drill be moved; how soon will we encounter the watercourse which made so much trouble for us above? The client employing a consultant often wants advice or good judg-

Jan 1, 1949

By J. S. Woodward, F. B. Plummer

The measurement of the rate of flow of liquids through sands dates back to 1856, when H. d Arcyb, a French physicist, carried out his classic experiments on the flow of water through sand layers. The earliest recorded data on relationships of pressure to flow of fluids through porous rocks in this country are those of Newell 23 in 1885. The first comprehensive studies of flow were made in 1898 by King15, who measured the rate of flow of water and air through consolidated and uncon-solidated sands and published the results. From 1900 to 1920 there appears to have been little interest in permeability. In 1920 the increase in demand for oil led the U. S. Bureau of Mines to begin a series of experiments to determine subsurface relationships of oil and water and the characteristics of their flow. Mills18 studied the relationship of flow of liquids to text- and structure of the sands, and Melcher17 in 1925 made a quantitative study of effect of changes in pressure on rate of flow of crude oil through Oklahoma oil sands. Since 1930 the importance of flow measurements to production of oil and gas has been emphasized by a large number of excellent investigations. Among these the works of Fettke9.10, BarbI.2, Cloud6, Nutting24-", Bot-set4, Nevin22, Tickell32.33, Fancher, Lewis and Barnes8, Moore, Schilthuis and Hurst19, and Wyckoff, Botset and Muskat"-39 have contributed much to our knowledge of the technique of permeability measurements and to the laws of liquid and gas flow through porous sands. The application of their work has led to the establishment of laboratories for measuring the permeability and porosity of oil sands by most of the large companies. All the investigations, except those of Wyckoff, Botset and Muskat, and Moore, Schilthuis and Hurst deal with linear flow; that is, flow in a more or less straight line through a given cross-sectional area of sand. Three years ago, at the University of Texas, experiments were started to measure radial flow of liquids through sands; that is, flow from all directions toward a central opening—the conditions that operate in a

Jan 1, 1937

By E. H. Dix

During an investigation of high-strength manganese bronze by til Engineering Division of the Air Service, at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, particles of a "blue constituent" were noted in the microstructure of most of the bronzes examined. The constitution of the simple copper-zinc base alloy is still a matter of dispute in spite of the fact that the copper-zinc series is one of the oldest industrially important groups of alloys, and has received thc carly co~l+itlcl-ntio11 of scirntific rcsc:trch. Thc diagram, according to the rnost rcrent \vork.' IS shown in Fig. 1. The disputed questions involve the tcrmi~r:~tiorl of the beta field and the lint at 470' C. The parliest expc~imc>ntcr, Rol)erts--~1~11stcri, detectrd an arrest in some of his cooling curves :it approximately this temperature and ascribed them to the formation of a cutectic; it has since been proved that there arc no eutectics in this series. Shepherd? was unable to detect any thermal arrests at this temperature, his. diagram was essentially as shown in Fig. 1, except that the line at 470" ('. was omitted and the beta phase carried down to normal temperature. 1,:ttcr. carpenter and Edwards, by a very painstaking research, definitely established the authenticity of the line but attributed it to the breakdown of the BETA constituent into a cutectoid of alpha and gamma. microscopic evidence of the formation of the cutectoid is doubtful and it seems more likely to he due to an allo-tropic change in the beta constituent as shown by Fig. 1. At least for practical purpose?, it is more convenient to think of the structure of a 60-40 brass as a mixture of alpha and beta prime crystals rather thin alpha plus an unresoluble eutectoid of "apparent beta" as it has often been called. * Chief, Metals branch, Engineering Division, Air Service. 1 0. F. Hudson: Jnl. Inst. of hlvtals (1913) 12, 2 E. S. Shepherd: Jnl. Phys Chrm. (10141 8, 421. H. C. H. Carpenter and O. A. Edwards: Jnl, Inst. of Metals (1911) 5, 127.

Jan 1, 1923

By James W. Shaffer

Aluminum is the most abundant metallic element of the earth's crust and is a constituent of nearly every type of rock (Clark, 1924, p. 13). The sources of aluminum and aluminous material most commonly used by modern industry are the bauxitic raw materials consisting of bauxite, bauxitic clay, and aluminous laterites. These are mixtures of hydrated aluminum oxide minerals and mineral impurities. End Uses Bauxite is used as an aluminum ore and in the manufacture of refractory products, aluminous chemicals, and abrasives. Other raw materials are used for aluminum ores, but their use is minor compared to bauxite. Refractory products made from bauxite are synthetic mullite, high-alumina fire bricks, castables, monoliths, cements, and ramming mixes used by the iron, steel, and cement industries. Chemicals made from bauxite are aluminum sulfate and sodium aluminate for water treatment and aluminum chloride used in refining crude petroleum. Among the abrasive products made from bauxite are coated abrasives, sharpening stones, and grinding wheels. Special grades of bauxite are used in the decolorization and clarification of raw sugar and lubricating oils. Bauxite has been used for road surfacing but mainly because other material was not more readily available. Perhaps the oldest use of bauxite and aluminous laterite is for a building stone. Ancient temples and more recent structures in India have been made from these and some varieties are suitable for decorative stone. Geology Mineralogy and Properties – Bauxite is a mineral raw material composed principally of one or more hydrated aluminum oxide minerals and impurities of silica, iron oxide, titania and elements in minor or trace amounts. The hydrated aluminum oxide minerals are gibbsite, boehmite and diaspore. Corundum is not included as a bauxite mineral although it does occur in some bauxite deposits. Boehmite and diaspore are both alumina mono-hydrates and have essentially the same composition, but diaspore has a greater hardness and a higher specific gravity because of a more tightly bonded and compacted atomic structure. Gibbsite is an alumina trihydrate mineral. Properties of bauxite minerals are shown in [Table 1].

Jan 1, 1975

By K. B. Nowels

The attainment of efficient flooding to a large extent depends upon a knowledge of fluid movement through porous media and the pressures used in controlling this movement. Little has been understood con-cerning the fundamental principles involved in the forced drive of water-flooding and an attempt will be made to present some data which may be of interest. Considerable data and technical information pertaining to natural and artificial water-flooding have been presented in the past by Torrey, Umpleby, Fettke, Panyity and others. Their papers have thoroughly covered the description of past and present-day methods of oil recovery by flooding in the Bradford field, especially an article by Torreyl in the Petroleum Engineering Handbook. A bibliography of papers devoted to watcr-flooding, published in Mr. Torrey's article, is appended to this paper. No attempt has been made, therefore, to describe the installations and procedure necessary in flooding, thus permitting the writer to deal exclusively with the mechanics of water movement in flooding operations and its relationship to well spacing. Artificial water-flooding will probably always be the most successful in oil fields described by Herold as being under "capillary control"" and will probably be useless in fields naturally under hydraulic or volumetric control. The natural water drive in an oil field under either of these two controls may give efficient recoveries, as a result of the regulated encroachment of edge water. Such a "natural flood" resulting from the influence of edge water must not be confused with the term as used in this paper, however. Any reference to "natural flood" will here refer to the old method of flooding formerly used in the Bradford field. This was discovered largely by accident and utilized the hydrostatic pressure created by a column of water standing in a watered-out oil well in forcing the oil to an adjacent producing well. The same principles are involved in either natural or artificial flooding, and the latter method simply

Jan 1, 1933

By William B. Senseman

For reasons well known to mining engineers, wet grinding is quite universal in plants having to do with the extraction of metallic values from crude ores. In the processing of the nonmetallic and industrial minerals, dry grinding is the more common method. The crude materials usually contain less moisture than is required for wet grinding and the products usually are marketed in dry form; most of them as powders. To grind wet, therefore, would entail the addition of water and an expense for drying the product, which is not justified. Furthermore, the material would be a dried cake that would still have to be pulverized or disintegrated before use. For producing fine products, air separators have largely replaced the earlier practice of sizing with screens and bolting reels. Mills in which the air-separating feature is an integral part of the design are now commonplace. Mill designs are many and air systems have developed along various lines, but for the purpose of this discussion, only the fundamental idea need be emphasized— the idea of using air for sizing and removing pulverized material from a grinding mill. About 20 years ago, when the use of mills equipped with air separation had become common practice, heated air or gas was introduced to such a system for the removal of moisture. The purpose of this discussion is to outline the developments and trends that have followed this experiment. It is an important development, for mills equipped with air separation are now universally used for pulverizing not only nonmetallic and industrial minerals, but a great variety of other materials. All such mills are essentially the same. Dried material is pulverized, removed by an air stream, trapped in a cyclone collector, and relatively clean air from the cyclone is returned through a fan to the mill. There is no theoretical need for a vent from the system. The practical need is to vent the air that leaks into the system, and, since the cyclone is not 100 per cent efficient as a dust collector, this vented air carries some dust with it. The initial attempt at drying was made on a system like that described, by the addition of a furnace. The minus pressure within the mill draws hot gas from the furnace. Infiltration air, along with the drying gases and evaporated moisture, is vented as before. The first application was made to a mill used for pulverizing coal. The coal contained very little moisture, so very little drying effect was needed for the success of this experiment. Actually, some calculated efficiencies of over 100 per cent were obtained before due allowance was made for the conversion of mill power into useful heat. When moisture is low, the heat obtained from the conversion of mill power is an appreciable part of that required. That drying can be effected in the short time interval available in a grinding mill of this type is better understood by visual-

Jan 1, 1947

By T. H. Aldrich

The Aldrich Mining Go. holds under lease from the Illinois Central R. R. Co. about 14,000 acres, in the east half of Township 12, Range 12 W., in Marion county, Alabama, and owns other lands, of which about 1,000 acres adjoin this leased tract, making a total area of about 15,000 acres, all of which is underlain by the coal-seam upon which the company is operating. This seam is nearly horizontal; and a ravine, diagonally crossing the tract, exposes the outcrop on either side for about 2 miles. The territory has been so divided that nearly the whole of it can be worked out by two collieries. The mines at Brilliant were opened in the fall of 1898, and shipments began in the following spring. The original plan was to furnish steam-coal for locomotives to the Illinois Central R. R. Co.; and upon this expectation the investment of capital was made. The field was entirely new; and the softness of the coal at the outcrop induced the belief that it could be very cheaply mined. A contract for the delivery of a large quantity of coal to the railroad was accordingly executed. But with the advance of' the entries to increasing distances from the outcrop, the coal proved so hard that it could no longer be drilled with a breast-auger; and the expense of mining became so great that the contract for cheap steam-coal had to be canceled. It became evident that the work must be done with machinery and explosives, if it could be profitably done at all. On the other hand, the excellent quality of this coal opened, at the same time, a possible market not specially contemplated at the outset—namely, that of a first-rate coal for domestic and general uses. Since no other deposit of such coal was known to exist on the line of the Illinois Central, or any other railroad

Jan 1, 1907

By S. W. Zanolli

The history of labor relations in the coal industry of the United States is a study of its collective bargaining. This study of collective bargaining is largely the history of the United Mine Workers of America and its contractual relations with the various coal mining employers who have produced this country's coal over the years under a free enterprise system. There have been other unions in the picture from time to time and some coal miners have mined coal without representation by any union. Even today some 25% of the nation's coal is produced outside of the collective bargaining relationship with the UMWA. However, more than 100,000 coal mine wage employees - well over 75% of the total in the industry - are covered by labor agreements negotiated for them by the UMWA. Practically all of these work in bituminous mines.

Jan 12, 1972

Aamot, Olav Crone, Research Engr., Guggenheim Bros. Labs., 3,771 10th Ave., New York, N. Y. '29 Abbott, Clarence E., V.P., Charge of Raw Materials, Tenn. Coal, Iron & R. R. Co., 1242 Brown-Marx Bldg., Birmingham, Ala. '04 Abbott, Louis Benjamin, Chief Engr., Consolidation Coal Co., Watson Bldg., Fairmont, W. Va. '15 Abeel, George H., Jr., Cons. Min. Engr 128/ S. Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, Calif. '18 Abel, Raymond L., Asst. Prof., Dept. of Pet. Refin., Univ. of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pa. '28 Abel, Walter D., Cons. Engr 364 S. Cloverdale Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. '32 Abele, Louis T 1457 Euclid Ave., Zanesville, Ohio. '31 Abell, Leo M Sullivan Concentrator, Chapman Camp, B. C., Canada. '31 Abort, Robert H., Asst. Met., Research Lab., U. S. Steel Corp., Lincoln Highway, Kearny, N. J. '19 Abraham, W. E. V., East India United Service Club, 16 St. James' Sq., London, S. W. 1, England. '28 Abstain, Henry T., Engr. & Mgr., Profile-Tamarack Mines Co Yellow Pine, Idaho. '27 Acker, E. O'C., Met 128 East Washington Late, Germantown, Philadelphia, Pa. '86 Ackermat, D. E., Research Met., International Nickel Co., Inc. Bayonne, N. J. '35 Acres, T. H., Geol. Dept., Valuation & Pet. Engrg., Richfield Oil Co., 555 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, Calif. '29

Jan 1, 1934