Search Documents

By R. D. Carpenter, R. R. Smith, E. E. Sougstad

The Union Carbide Nuclear Co., in treating low-grade tungsten and molybdenum-copper ores at the Pine Creek mill near Bishop, Calif., employs flotation for the initial extraction of the valuable mineral constituents. These minerals consist of scheelite, molybdenite, and several of the copper sulfides including chalcopyrite, bornite, and possibly chalcocite. They occur in a gangue consisting mainly of quartz, pyroxene, and garnet, with minor amounts of calcite and fluorite. This assemblage of minerals presents an unusual grinding problem because of their diverse physical characteristics. Feed for the circuit is prepared from -6-in. ore by screening on a rod deck screen to remove the -5/8 - in. material. The+5/8-in. fraction is crushed in open circuit with a 5 1/2-ft Symons shorthead crusher operated at a closed- side setting of approximately 3/8 in. The screen undersize and the conecrusher discharge are then combined to constitute the feed to the grinding circuit. The ore is ground in 6 by 5-ft grate discharge ball mills operated in closed circuit with 54-in. spiral classifiers. The classifier overflow goes directly to the flotation section of the plant. Studies of the flotation circuits have shown that the maximum recovery of the tungsten, molybdenum, and copper minerals occurs in the particle-sue range from 100 mesh to approximately 400 mesh. Further, practice has shown that the ore minerals are effectively reduced to this size range if the total ore is ground to -48 mesh. The general objective of the grinding circuit then is to reduce the feed to -48 mesh with the production of a minimum amount of slimes. The purpose of this investigation was to ascertain how well the grinding circuit was carrying out this objective. The method used was to sample the various products in the grinding section, size these products accurately, and analyze the resulting sue distributions. SAMPLE PREPARATION AND SIZING TECHNIQUES Representative samples of the different grinding circuit products, namely, new feed to the ball mill, ball mill discharge, classifier overflow, and classifier return, were taken over a 24-hr period. The samples were then dried without being filtered to avoid loss of slimes. The percentages of solids in the different products were the following: new ball-mill feed, 95%; ball mill discharge, 82%; classifier overflow, 52%; and classifier return, 84% solids. Particle sizes were determined on each product by wet-screening an

Jan 1, 1962

By Howard Eavenson

THE eleven mines of the United States Coal and Coke Co. in the Pocahontas coal field are situated in McDowell County, W. Va., which is a mountainous region. The valleys rarely exceed 200 ft. (60 m.) is width, the hill sides slope from 25° to 33°, and the tops, from 600, to 900 ft. above the valleys, carry practically no level land. At least 80 per cent. of the area is covered with timber. All the workings are drift mines; and while the average grades of the seams worked are ample for drainage, local dips and swamps necessitate, the use of a large number of local pumps or of numerous drainage ditches to keep the mine free from water during heavy rains. The water handled in any mine is not great, compared with the coal output, and usually causes little trouble except during extremely wet periods. In hew workings, the water encountered, except in rare cases, is trifling; it is only after rib drawing has started and the surface has been broken that water troubles begin. The strata overlying the coal are sandstone, shales, and slates; as the soil is thin and sandy, it does not tend to puddle and stop the cracks, which remain open for a long time. As mining progresses and the robbed area increases, the broken area becomes larger, increasing the openings into the mined territory. The cover over the robbed portions of the mines varies from 30 to 750 ft. (9 to 228 m.). When the ground is saturated, considerable water finds its way into the mines the day after a heavy rainfall and for three or four days it tends to fill the low places, wash the tracks, etc. and. unless from three to four times as many pumps are installed as are normally needed, considerable', output is lost. In most cases the water will .flow from the mines, so the obvious solution is to provide drainage .ditches of ample size to carry the maximum flow expected, so that the inflow will have no opportunity to flood the working places.

Jan 1, 1921

By E. C. Bitzer

The primary object of the work described in the following pages was to simplify the equipment in the separating circuit of the heavy-media process by substituting a spiral classifier for the separatory cone. Mechanical considerations were the leading attraction and the best that was hoped for on metallurgical performance was that the new vessel would give results equal to those obtained by conventional equipment. Tests have demonstrated in commercial operation on iron ore that the mechanical advantages of the spiral separator are about as predicted; also, the metallurgical performance is superior to the cone on the ores treated. Treatment of iron ore involves the separation of two products: a concentrate that sinks and a float product that contains true float material plus a controlled division of interfering middling. The middling material is heavier than the average specific gravity of the separating medium. Recent work with the spiral separator on Tri-State zinc ore showed that the middling material had to be recovered as concentrate because this fraction contained the bulk of the zinc in the ore. It has been demonstrated that it is possible to make three products with the new separator on an ore such as this: a float tailing, a float middling, and a high- grade heavy sink product. It appears from this last work that the new separator has definite mechanical and metalluigical advantages over any type of separating cone for treating feed that contains large amounts of material of a specific gravity close to that of the separating medium. However, either type of separator should perform equally well, metallurgically, on feed that is free of middlings. Each series of experiments with the spiral separator has required additional work to fully develop the possibilities of the machine. For this reason the paper is divided into chronological parts. History of Development A drag-type classifier was first proposed as a substitute for the cone separator by Butler Brothers technicians during the initial tests with galena medium at Crosby, Minn., in 1937. The desire for finding a substitute for the cone arose from trouble with interfering middlings and certain operating disadvantages of the cone. The possibility of using a spiral classifier was also suggested at this time by Emmett Butler and C. J. Abrams. However, inability to satisfactorily recover fine galena, which was used as a medium, terminated all development work at Crosby. During the winter of 1937--1938 investigation started on magnetic medium with concurrent development of the inverted or closed-top cone, which was found necessary to eliminate iron-ore middlings with the float product. About

Jan 1, 1949

By Orville R. Lyons

THE relative performance of coal washing equipment, or the effectiveness with which any type or make of equipment removes impurities from coal, has been most difficult to evaluate in the past. The most widely used yardstick is the Frazer and Yancey efficiency formula developed in 1922,1 but Yancey in a later article states that "washers treating coals of different density composition or operating at different densities of separation cannot be compared directly on the basis of this criterion."' Prior to and since 1922, a variety of other methods has been used for comparison purposes, including the distribution curve, the error area, and the "ecart probable" or probable error. Yancey and Geer in discussing these methods conclude, "Performance can be evaluated in a number of different ways, with the choice of the proper method to use being dictated by the objectives of the investigation and the data available."' It is true that performance can be evaluated in a variety of ways, but if the equipment is to be evaluated on an effectiveness basis, there should be only one universal comparison method. Varying methods have been used because one universal comparison method has not been found or developed. In the article previously quoted, Yancey and Geer state in clear terms the primary concept for a universal comparison method: "One of the simplest, and certainly one of the most obvious evaluations of washery performance is the quantity of sink material in the washed coal and the float material in the refuse. If the washery products are tested at the density at which the washing unit is operated, the sink in the washed coal and the float in the refuse represent material that has been misplaced." The quantity of misplaced material was used as a criterion of washery performance by Lincoln in 1913,8 by the United States Bureau of Mines in 1938,4 by Hancock in 1947,3 and by the national French research agency Cerchar in recent years.2 In 1950 Anderson' proposed the use of this criterion as an efficiency value to replace the Frazer and Yancey formula. However, none of the above-mentioned investigators used the misplaced material concept in a manner that would provide universal coal-cleaning equipment comparisons. The Correlation Theory The ideal coal cleaning process would treat all sizes and would make a perfect separation at any given specific gravity. All material lower in density than the desired value would report in the coal product and all material higher in density would report in the refuse product. Unfortunately, no known cleaning process achieves this goal and there seems little likelihood that any process yet to be invented will do more than approach it. When coal is treated in volume under operating conditions, it is impossible to avoid mechanical entrapment, fluctuations in throughput and effective gravity of separation, and the creation of turbulent currents, even when a true heavy-liquid bath is used and the feed is closely sized and contains little intermediate gravity material. This being so, it is possible to appreciate the difficulties inherent in trying to obtain a perfect separation when treating a wide range of sizes and a feed containing high percentages of intermediate material, using turbulent currents to help create the effective separation gravity, under operating conditions which normally tend to be on the overload side. When coal is separated from refuse in any coal cleaning equipment, some refuse always reports to the coal and some coal to the refuse; the writer therefore assumed that there should be a relationship between the total amount of misplaced material produced by any given piece of equipment and the difficulty of separation as represented by the percentage of near gravity material in the feed. With small amounts of near gravity or ±0.1 material in the feed there should be less misplacement of material than would occur with large amounts of near

Jan 1, 1952

By H. F. Yancey, M. R. Geer

The importance of the size composition of coal is reflected in the difference in price of the various sizes of the same coal and in the large number of primary sizes and mixtures of sizes produced by the modern preparation plant to meet the demands of a market that in late years has grown increasingly conscious of coal size. The importance of size in the industrial and domestic uses of coal has its counterpart in the role played by size composition in the laboratory examination of coal. Investigation of many of the physical properties of coal in their relation to its uses requires an evaluation of size composition. In fact, the Standards on Coal and Coke issued by the American Socaiety for Testing Materials in 1936 contains 12 standard methods of testing that involve some use of size composition. The screen analysis is, of course, the standard method of determining size composition, whether the material is coarse run-of-mine coal or fine pulverized fuel. Custorriarily, the analysis is reported as the weight percentages retained on or passing each of a series of testing screens, the number of which may range from only two or three to as many as 20. When more than two or three sieves are used, which is usual, the number of weight percentages obtained is so great as to make the analysis difficult to comprehend. Direct comparison of analyses made 011 the same sieves is hard, and comparison of analyses covering the same range of sizes but made on different sieves is next to impossible. Consequently, a frequent purpose of sizing tests-—-correlation of size with properties and charactcristics related to size-—is rendered difficult. Less cumbersome means of expressing size composition have been attempted with various degrees of success. An average particle size, calculated by any of several formulas, is useful for some purposes, also the weight percentage retained on a single sieve finds some application as a

Jan 1, 1938

By M. R. Geer, H. F. Yancey

The importance of the size composition of coal is reflected in the difference in price of the various sizes of the same coal and in the large number of primary sizes and mixtures of sizes produced by the modern preparation plant to meet the demands of a market that in late years has grown increasingly conscious of coal size. The importance of size in the industrial and domestic uses of coal has its counterpart in the role played by size composition in the laboratory examination of coal. Investigation of many of the physical properties of coal in their relation to its uses requires an evaluation of size composition. In fact, the Standards on Coal and Coke issued by the American Socaiety for Testing Materials in 1936 contains 12 standard methods of testing that involve some use of size composition. The screen analysis is, of course, the standard method of determining size composition, whether the material is coarse run-of-mine coal or fine pulverized fuel. Custorriarily, the analysis is reported as the weight percentages retained on or passing each of a series of testing screens, the number of which may range from only two or three to as many as 20. When more than two or three sieves are used, which is usual, the number of weight percentages obtained is so great as to make the analysis difficult to comprehend. Direct comparison of analyses made 011 the same sieves is hard, and comparison of analyses covering the same range of sizes but made on different sieves is next to impossible. Consequently, a frequent purpose of sizing tests-—-correlation of size with properties and charactcristics related to size-—is rendered difficult. Less cumbersome means of expressing size composition have been attempted with various degrees of success. An average particle size, calculated by any of several formulas, is useful for some purposes, also the weight percentage retained on a single sieve finds some application as a

Jan 1, 1938

By R. A. Morse, C. R. Stewart, F. F. Craig

This paper preFents the results of a series of model flow test on a number of large limestone cores, having different pore configurations. For limestone cores having substantially sandstone type porosity, the production characteristics for solution and external gas drives are similar. For cores whose pore spaces were microscopically heterogeneous (i.e., consisted of combinations of solution cavities, matrix. and fissures), the production characteristics lor solution and external gas drives vary widely. The degree of divergence between gas-oil relative permeability relationships calculated from solution or external gas drive tests is an indication of heterogeneity of rock pore structure. The results of water floods on cores depleted by solution gas drive for each of these two general types of limestone porosity are also shown. Generalizations are made on the water flood recovery that could be expected from each of these two types of limestone porosity. The similarity between solution drive field performance and model solution drive performance on cores from the same formation is shown for several cases. This indicate? the feasibility of predetermining limestone field performance from such large core tests. Photomicrographs of plastic-impregnated rock thin sections of the samples tested are presented as an aid in understanding the flow test performances. INTRODUCTION During the past 15 years. reservoir engineers and research workers have developed methods of testing rock and fluid samples and applying the results, through calculation, to allow reasonably satisfactory predictions of oil recoveries and performances to be expected in sandstone oil recervoirs. It has been determined that representative fluid flow data can be obtained on rock samples as small as three-fourths in. in diameter by one in. long in most sandstones. However, little has been accomplished toward the laboratory determination of fluid flow characteristics in limestones. There has been a great deal of speculation as to the influence of variations in pore size, shape, and degree of interconnection upon oil recovery processes, and a great deal of thought has been given to the interpretation of limestone field perfomance. It has been generally recognized that predictions of reservoir performance based on oil displacement tests on small limestone core samples the size of those used for sandstone tests can often be misleading because of the improbability of obtaining a representative sample in such a small core. Obviously, if there are present in the rock, pore openings of the magnitude of 1/16 in., or fractures or solution channels up to one in. or more in length, it will be impossible to cut any sample less than one in. in any dimension which would represent the flow geometry of the gross rock system. In some formations, the individual openings in the rock are of such size that it would be impossible to obtain a good sample of the flow system even in the total core available from conventional-sized well cores. However, by increasing to the maximum the size of the sample used, it should be possible to obtain representative flow data from the majority of limestone reservoir materials which can be used for prediction of future primary production performance or response to be expected from secondary recovery measures. The only alternatives to obtaining good laboratory test data to serve these purposes are extrapolation of primary performance data obtained by partial depletion of a field, or obtaining information from pilot tests. It has been shown previously, and will be demonstrated further by the work reported in this paper, that extrapolation of solution gas drive performance for an estimate of gas injection response can be very misleading in reservoirs of heterogeneous type porosity. Although it cannot be expected that laboratory information can ever eliminate the necessity of small-scale pilot operations, it is expected, as is now the situation with sandstone reservoirs, that laboratory tests should provide reliable information for screening of

Jan 1, 1953

By W. M. McKewan, R. G. Olsson

In order to improve the understanding of the iron oxide reduction mechanism, the rate of equal molar diffusion of hydrogen and water vapor was measured through disks of porous iron and alumina. The measuretneizts were made at atmospheric pressure at 800°, 900- , and 1000°C. It is shown tint the reduction of dense hematite pellets with hydrogen at these temperatures and at atmospheric pressure is to a great extent limited by gaseous diffusion between the bulk-gas phase and the iron-wustile interface. THE investigation of the reduction of iron oxides with hydrogen has been the subject of numerous papers. Although the effects of temperature, pressure, and gas composition on the rate of iron oxide reduction have been studied, the actual mechanism of the reduction process has not been definitely determined. As a means of improving the understanding of the mechanism, the rate of equal molar counterdiffusion of hydrogen and water vapor was measured through porous iron and porous alumina disks at reduction temperatures. The alumina was used as a basis of compari-son because its pore structure is homogeneous and independent of temperature. The porous iron was prepared by the reduction of dense hematite disks with hydrogen at the temperature of the subsequent diffusion experiment. The hematite disks were made from pellets that were identical to those used by McKewan1,2 in his study of iron oxide reduction with hydrogen. In these investigations the weight loss and rate of movement of the various interfaces were measured as a function of the reduction temperature and gas composition. With these reduction data and the presently reported diffusion data it is possible to determine the importance of H2-H2O transport between the bulk-gas phase and the Fe/FeO interface to the reduction of dense hematite. APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE A porous iron or alumina sample was held in the base plate of a sealed canister containing porous granular wustite, as illustrated schematically in Fig. 1. The canister was suspended from an automatic recording balance in a vertical tube furnace through which flowed hydrogen and water-vapor mixtures of known composition at atmospheric pressure (0.96 atm). Hydrogen from the gas stream diffused through the porous sample, reducing the wustite in the interior of the canister. The water vapor that was formed diffused back to the gas stream. The rate of diffusion was determined from the recorded weightloss data. The furnace, automatic balance, and gas-metering equipment have been described previously.2 The main body of the canister and the tubing extension were made of stainless steel while the base plate was made of high-purity iron. The main body of the canister was % in. in diam. It held approximately 6 g of porous granular wustite that was prepared by reducing 0.1- to 0.2-cm-diam specular hematite particles at 900°C with an H2-H2O mixture of a composition near the iron-wustite equilibrium value. The upper end of the 1/8-in.-diam tubing extension was sealed with a segment of plastic tubing and a tubing clamp. The temperature at the top of the furnace was sufficiently high so that no water vapor condensed inside the extension. In the experiments with porous iron, iron oxide samples were prepared from reagent-grade hematite that was pressed and sintered in a manner previously described.' The resulting pellets had a density of 5.15 ± 0.05 g per cu cm. Each pellet was centerless-ground

Jan 1, 1967

By Charles Means

A THOROUGHLY modern coal-handling system has been installed at the Pittsburgh Terminal R. R. & Coal Co.'s new No. 8 shaft, or Coverdale mine, about 11 mi. (17.7 km.) from Pittsburgh on a spur f the Montour R. R. The Pittsburgh seam, which is the one worked, is reached at a depth of 342 ft. (104 m.). Power is delivered to the mine at 22,000 volts over a transmission line of the bow-arrow type of construction. A private telephone line connecting the various mines and the main office in Pittsburgh is carried on the same poles. The high-tension line is brought to an outdoor, step-down, transformer substation, where three 833-kv.-a., single-phase, 60-cycle, oil-insulated, self-cooled transformers reduce the potential to 2300 volts. The transformers are protected by electrolytic, aluminum-cell lightning arresters, horn gaps, and choke coils. High and low-tension busses, together with fuses, choke coils and air-break horn-gap switches with their remote-control operating mechanism are mounted on a substantial structural-steel tower 25 ft. (7.6 m.) in height. MINE SUBSTATION The transformer substation is adjacent to a pressed-brick building that houses direct-current substation equipment together with switchboards, etc., for the control and distribution of power. This building also contains the hoist for the men and supplies.

Jan 9, 1921

By John W. Trammell, Chester O. Ensign

Efficient mining of copper ore at the White Pine mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is partially dependent on the rather unique problem of predicting variations and rock types in a barren stratum called the upper sandstone. The pronounced effect which this formation has on the local mining techniques is reflected by the necessity of deciding whether to mine the sandstone along with ore-bearing rock, thus diluting overall ore grade, or, alternatively, leaving the sandstone behind to form the mine roof. THE OREBODY AND MINING TYPES In the mine, the cupriferous zone of the Nonesuch shale is divided into three major portions (Fig. I). Lying conformably on top of the Copper Harbor formation (or "lower sandstone") is the lower part of the orebody, the parting shale. The parting shale is overlain by the upper sandstone. On top of the upper sandstone, the basal portion (8 ft) of the upper shale is quite similar to the parting shale. Both the upper shale and parting shale are divided into a number of smaller stratigraphic units, each having a characteristic copper content, as shown by the histogram of Fig. 1. Other authors have dealt in detail with the stratigraphy and mineralogy of the orebody, so it will suffice here to call attention to the low copper content of the upper sandstone.

Jan 12, 1964

By O. George Specht, Carl A. Zapffe

In recent print, some remarkably contradictory statements have appeared regarding the importance to be attached to sponge Iron,1-6 a metallurgical commodity whose history goes back at least to the time of Diodorus Siculus in the fourth century B.C. This disagreement, however, expresses the lack of a satisfactory method for producing sponge iron rather than defection in the commodity. The blast furnace is admitted to have certain inherent disadvantages, such as a general unsuitability for magnetite and the heating and blowing of vast quantities of undesirable nitrogen, so that a workable sponge-iron process remains attractive. In this respect, low-temperature gaseous reduction shows especial promise; but confusion persists regarding the factors involved. The present paper, therefore, has three principal divisions: (I) an exhaustive examination of all previous work on low-temperature gaseous reduction, (2) experi- mentation on the reduction of a magnetite with hydrogen, and (3) development of certain thermodynamic relationships in reduction, with a summarized depiction of the factors in the general process. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS Gaseous media used in the reduction processes under discussion can be classified in three types: (I) H2, (2) CO, and (3) other gases. In the second, the CO is often admixed with H2. The third principally comprises hydrogeniferous gases, such as natural gas and producer gas, and in addition includes chlorine. Because hydrogen therefore features in all three, a study of hydrogen reduction based on investigations using pure hydrogen alone may be incomplete. The present paper reviews the three groups of investigations in the listed order, paying particular attention to hydrogen reduction. For the benefit of future workers, an exhaustive bibliography has been prepared and similarly classified. Group I: Reduction with Hydrogen Equilibria Although the present problem is specifically one of kinetics, a first consideration is the equilibrium of the system, since the reactions to be studied comprise that equilibrium, and their direction and end points are defined by it. The historic development of these researches is interesting and informative.

Jan 1, 1947

By O. George Specht, Carl A. Zapffe

In recent print, some remarkably contradictory statements have appeared regarding the importance to be attached to sponge Iron,1-6 a metallurgical commodity whose history goes back at least to the time of Diodorus Siculus in the fourth century B.C. This disagreement, however, expresses the lack of a satisfactory method for producing sponge iron rather than defection in the commodity. The blast furnace is admitted to have certain inherent disadvantages, such as a general unsuitability for magnetite and the heating and blowing of vast quantities of undesirable nitrogen, so that a workable sponge-iron process remains attractive. In this respect, low-temperature gaseous reduction shows especial promise; but confusion persists regarding the factors involved. The present paper, therefore, has three principal divisions: (I) an exhaustive examination of all previous work on low-temperature gaseous reduction, (2) experi- mentation on the reduction of a magnetite with hydrogen, and (3) development of certain thermodynamic relationships in reduction, with a summarized depiction of the factors in the general process. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS Gaseous media used in the reduction processes under discussion can be classified in three types: (I) H2, (2) CO, and (3) other gases. In the second, the CO is often admixed with H2. The third principally comprises hydrogeniferous gases, such as natural gas and producer gas, and in addition includes chlorine. Because hydrogen therefore features in all three, a study of hydrogen reduction based on investigations using pure hydrogen alone may be incomplete. The present paper reviews the three groups of investigations in the listed order, paying particular attention to hydrogen reduction. For the benefit of future workers, an exhaustive bibliography has been prepared and similarly classified. Group I: Reduction with Hydrogen Equilibria Although the present problem is specifically one of kinetics, a first consideration is the equilibrium of the system, since the reactions to be studied comprise that equilibrium, and their direction and end points are defined by it. The historic development of these researches is interesting and informative.

Jan 1, 1947

By C. Dinis da Gama

In mining, all unit operations are closely interrelated, and the results of blasting are probably the key factor within that sequence. The drilling program prior to blasting is just as dependent upon the desired rock fragmentation as are the loading, hauling, and mechanical crushing operations which are economically and technically influenced by the results of blasting, namely, the size and scatter of the product. What is known today as optimum blasting is the process of designing a blast in order to obtain a certain degree of fragmentation so that overall mining costs are minimized. Applying this criterion often results in a different program than when an individual blasting pattern is chosen only on the basis of the lowest operational cost for that pattern, disregarding what comes before or after the blast. [Fig. 1] shows the characteristic variation of mining unit costs with the degree of fragmentation, or the maximum size of blocks obtained from blasting. From the figure, it can be seen that optimum breakage must correspond to the lowest total costs, but reducing drilling-blasting costs only does not achieve such an optimum solution. Methods of designing surface or underground blasting operations should comply with the optimization criterion, but this compliance is feasible only if a detailed mining system analysis is available. Therefore, predictions of costs of loading, transporting, and mechanical breakage of ore as a function of its size will define a narrow range of variation for drilling and blasting parameters in order to get the minimum total costs.

Jan 1, 1972

By J. E. Johnson

OF the many items of information necessary to the successful management of the blast-furnace, few are more important than knowledge of the location and movement of the stock: line:—whether the furnace is full and has been kept so; whether the stock is settling regularly or slipping; and, if slipping, how often it has slipped, at what times, and how far at each time. To obtain these data, a man is sometimes stationed at the top of a pair of mechanically-filled furnaces, sim-ply to watch and gauge them by hand in the old-fashioned way. A more recent practice is the suspension of test-rods from ropes leading over pulleys to the ground-level, where the ropes are mound on small drums with graduated peripheries and provided with crank-handles, whereby the skip-man or some other person can quickly and conveniently gauge the position of the stock-line in the furnace. I believe the credit for this great improvement belongs to Messrs. McClure $ Phillips of Sharon, Pa., who were, as far as I know, the first to apply it, and who have a patent for it. The valuable indications gained by application of the Uehling pyrometer to the down-comer are not to be ignorcd; but the information thus furnished is somewhat indirect, and there is no scale for the translation of " top-temperatures " into " feet down." Moreover, this apparatus, as a whole, is delicate, and the cost of installation and maintenance is high. If the record furnished by the Uehling pyrometer is not in the most desirable form, the test-rods, on the other hand, give no record at all, except through the memory or notes of a man who, to say the least, is not gauging continuously, and who may omit to report an improperly low stock-line, if it be due to a fault of his own.

Jan 1, 1906

By Sherwin Kelly

IN presenting this brief historical perspective, it is not my purpose to address myself to the geophysicists, to most of whom the story is already well known. My objective is to draw the attention of those who hold the belief that geophysics is something new, typically twentieth century, to the fact that fundamentally, whether it was known by the name of geo-physics or not, the science is an ancient and an honorable one. It began many centuries ago, and our modern civilization and its commerce owe a great debt to Its founders, who today are likely to be overlooked and their names forgotten. The word "geophysics" means the physics of the earth, and is descriptive of a science that in many ways bears the same relationship to geology that astrophysics does to astronomy. When dealing with dis-tant stars or deeply buried rocks, the experimenter cannot reach them to obtain samples, which can be taken to his laboratory for study. He therefore exhibits the resourcefulness of Mahomet in the mountain episode, and makes the terrestrial globe or the cosmic universe his labora-tory, studying the effects of distant bodies on certain "fields of force" which come to him across interstellar space, or through the rocks that make our earth. The application of these techniques of the physics laboratory to the study of the stars is the science of astrophysics, and to the investigation of the earth is geophysics. Yet the origin of the most valuable contribution to the world's trade and commerce ever made by geophysics remains lost in deep obscurity. Unknown even is the country wherein lived the unsung genius who invented the first geophysical instrument, the mariner's compass! Worse yet, it is not certain whether this invaluable guide of man had its begin-nings in Europe or in Asia. A Chinese legend tells of the Emperor Hwang-ti, who attacked his enemy Tchi-yeou on the plains of Tchou-lou in the year 2634 B.C., whereupon the latter magically raised such a fog that the Emperor could not pursue the retreating troops. Not to be outdone, the mighty ruler constructed a chariot that indicated the cardi-

Jan 1, 1938

By James H. Hance

Discussion of the paper of JAMES H. HANCE, presented at the New York meeting, .February, 1916, and printed in Bulletin No. 110, February, 1916, pp. 299 to 326. FREDERIC P. DEWEY, Washington, D. C. (communication to the Secretary*).-I wish to congratulate Professor Hance and to thank him for his extremely valuable addition to the fund of data upon this subject. It presents clearly conclusive and incontrovertible proof of the unreliability of drill samples of this class of metal for determining the value of such bullion. I am afraid, however, that his hope that some one in the mint service might continue such an investigation upon a more elaborate and exhaustive scale is, for the present at least, doomed to disappointment. As a practical matter, the mint service is not now particularly interested in segregation in crude bullion. So much trouble and friction arose, -both in the original purchase and in the transfer from one institution to another, in handling segregated bullion, that it became necessary to adopt drastic measures and now it is seldom attempted to determine the value of such bullion in the service. When bullion known or even suspected of being segregated is presented for purchase, it is at once strongly refined in the pot and the disturbing elements so far removed that concordant assays may certainly be obtained from the dip samples and a reasonably fair agreement obtained from drill samples. The mint service prefers that the owner should refine his bullion himself, but if he does not we will do it at his expense and return the slag to him when desired. Much work has been done in the mint service trying to arrive at the value of deposits of segregated bullion without strong refining. It was no unusual thing for such deposits to be melted three times at the purchasing office and to have 30 to 40 assays on the metal made before buying it. Yet when shipped to a mint it was found necessary to melt two or three times more and to make 15 to 25 assays before the mint would accept the bar, and there were considerable differences between the valuations of the two offices. In what was undoubtedly the worst case ever investigated, the purchasing office melted the deposit, 953 oz., three times, with a loss of 105.5 oz., and made 46 assays; the mint melted three times, with a loss of 6.6 oz., and made 28 assays. The mint allowed the purchasing office 1.178 oz. of fine gold more than the purchasing office claimed, while an extensive investigation of the mint samples by the Bureau, in which over 100 independent assays were made in various service laboratories, indicated that the metal carried 0.7 to 0.9 oz. more of fine gold than the mint allowed. Preliminary assays on the original metal

Jan 5, 1916

By Parke A. Dickey

Potential differences between strata of shale and sandstone have been recognized for about 15 years, and they form the basis of the electrical logging of oil wells. Hitherto these potentials have been ascribed solely to electro-¦ chemical reactions caused by the disturbing effects of the water in the drill hole through which they are generally measured. Observations by the author in wells empty of water and in a mine shaft suggest that potential differences between sandstones and shales are natural and specific properties of the rocks, although they are moditied in measurement by the disturbing effects of the water in the drill hole. The cause of these potentials probably is to be sought in the relative polar adsorptive capacities of quartz and clay particles. Introduction The existence of potential differences in the surface of the earth has been known for some time, and their measurement has facilitated the discovery of geological discontinuities such as ore bodies. The technique of measurement has been well established.1-3 In measurements in oil wells, it has been found that the potential of shales with respect to some arbitrary reference is very nearly constant in any one well, at least below the zone to which meteoric water has gained access. Sandstones and some other types of sedimentary rocks have a difference of potential with respect to shale that is negative arid may attain a value of 200 millivolts or more. The difference of potential, as usually measured commercially with water in the hole, is distributed over about one foot vertically at the top and bottom contacts of the sandstones. The sharpness of the curve at the formation contacts can be improved by using a short electrode that is close to the wall of the hole' These potentials generally have been ascribed to the disturbing effects of the water in the drill hole. Potentials have been found, however, in wells in which no water was present. In the course of experiments in electrical logging in pennsylvania, carried out by the pennsylvania Geological Survey, observations were made of several phenomena that hitherto have not been described, to the author's knowledge, ill the published literature. The potential differences across the contacts of sandstone and shale are called ill this paper "natural potentials," as distinguished from the potentials caused by electroendosmosis (electrofiltration) and concentration differences, which will be discussed subsequently. Potentials in Cored WeLl In the spring of 1942, the author measured the potentials in an exploratory well (Day 13, near Grand Valley, Pa.) which had been cored With diamond tools. The potentials were first measured with fresh water in the hole. * null balance potentiometer was used in this and all the other measurements described in this paper. One nonpolarizing porous pot electrode, containing copper sulphate solution and

Jan 1, 1946

By Parke A. Dickey

Potential differences between strata of shale and sandstone have been recognized for about 15 years, and they form the basis of the electrical logging of oil wells. Hitherto these potentials have been ascribed solely to electro-¦ chemical reactions caused by the disturbing effects of the water in the drill hole through which they are generally measured. Observations by the author in wells empty of water and in a mine shaft suggest that potential differences between sandstones and shales are natural and specific properties of the rocks, although they are moditied in measurement by the disturbing effects of the water in the drill hole. The cause of these potentials probably is to be sought in the relative polar adsorptive capacities of quartz and clay particles. Introduction The existence of potential differences in the surface of the earth has been known for some time, and their measurement has facilitated the discovery of geological discontinuities such as ore bodies. The technique of measurement has been well established.1-3 In measurements in oil wells, it has been found that the potential of shales with respect to some arbitrary reference is very nearly constant in any one well, at least below the zone to which meteoric water has gained access. Sandstones and some other types of sedimentary rocks have a difference of potential with respect to shale that is negative arid may attain a value of 200 millivolts or more. The difference of potential, as usually measured commercially with water in the hole, is distributed over about one foot vertically at the top and bottom contacts of the sandstones. The sharpness of the curve at the formation contacts can be improved by using a short electrode that is close to the wall of the hole' These potentials generally have been ascribed to the disturbing effects of the water in the drill hole. Potentials have been found, however, in wells in which no water was present. In the course of experiments in electrical logging in pennsylvania, carried out by the pennsylvania Geological Survey, observations were made of several phenomena that hitherto have not been described, to the author's knowledge, ill the published literature. The potential differences across the contacts of sandstone and shale are called ill this paper "natural potentials," as distinguished from the potentials caused by electroendosmosis (electrofiltration) and concentration differences, which will be discussed subsequently. Potentials in Cored WeLl In the spring of 1942, the author measured the potentials in an exploratory well (Day 13, near Grand Valley, Pa.) which had been cored With diamond tools. The potentials were first measured with fresh water in the hole. * null balance potentiometer was used in this and all the other measurements described in this paper. One nonpolarizing porous pot electrode, containing copper sulphate solution and

Jan 1, 1946

By E. S. Machlin

The kinetics of vacuum distillation, vacuum-melt surface reactions, crucible-melt surface reactions and boiling are analytically investigated. No disagreement with experiment is obtained upon applying a rigid flow model to describe the behavior of the melt in the vicinity of reaction surfaces. The theory focuses attention upon measureable parameters rather than upon the adjustable parameter, stagnant layer thickness, associated with other theories. The rigid flow theory is thus capable of quantitative evaluation and experiments to achieve this evaluation are suggested. KINETICS, rather than thermodynamics, often determine the degree of refinement achieved in vacuum melting. There is little understanding, however, of the kinetic principles involved in vacuum refining. This paper represents an attempt to achieve this understanding. There are two reactions which need to be con- sidered. The first is the refining reaction. The second shall be called the polluting reaction. It is the reaction associated with the introduction of components of the crucible into the melt. The mechanisms of both reactions are unknown. Many models can be constructed to describe either the refining or polluting reactions. For example, consider the refining reaction C + Q = CO(g). One model that can be imagined is that the carbon and oxygen combine in the melt to form CO which then diffuses to a melt-

Jan 1, 1961

By C. Wachmann

The theory presented ill this paper makes possible examination of the phenomenological aspect of secondary oil recovery by alcohol flooding. Limitutions of the theory are contingent on three primary assumptions: (1) chemical equilibrium, (2) no fingering, and (5) no dispersion. The second assumption implies one-dimensional flow. In a geometric sense the theory extends the Buckley-Leverett construction to systems of two slightly miscible fluids and to systems of three components. This is made possible by considering single-phase fluids to be made up two phases, namely of an excess of one phase and a negative amount of the other phase. The procedure is discussed in the paper. The theory also permits direct determination of the relationship between the aqueous phase saturation and the concentration of water in the aqueous phase in a zone of variable composition. The velocity of planes of constant water concentration and of constant saturation can be computted likewise and the existence of saturation discontinuities inferred. Consequently the behavior of such a Zone, which may exist at some time between a displaced and a displacing fluid, May be determined. mathematical details are given in Appendices. Problems of experimental verification are pointed out on the basis of a supporting experiment. Implications of the theory and effects of violations of primary assumptions are discussed briefly. The major conclusion is that, if the primary assumptions are met, with pure alcohol and alcohol-rich .slugs piston-like displacement of oil and water is possible. INTRODUCTION The recovery of oil from porous media by alcohol displacement has been studied for several years. Extensive experimental investigations into alcohol flooding have been carried out in the laboratory although little has been done in the field. A large amount of practical information is available, the extent being indicated by the first three papers cited 1-3 and their respecrive bibliographies. This has permitted the Formulation of inferential theories. A more analytical approach in which theories are developed primarily by reasoning from known physical principles and relationships has, however, lagged behind. In fact, an analytically derived theory of alcohol displacement has not been available. The theory presented in this paper on oil and water displacement by alcohol from a porous medium is a result of the analytical approach. The theory is idealized, as certain assumptions had to be made to make the mathematics tractable and reduce complexity of argument. In particular, major assuptions concerning conditions of equilibrium, interfacial stability, longitudinal mixing, etc., led to the exclusion of fingering, for example, from all considerations. In many laboratory experiments reported in the literature fingering could not be avoided. There is, therefore, disagreement between theories based on experimental evidence available and the analytically derived theory presented here. This theory presented is based on known physical data and makes use of the Buckley-Leverett construction and its suggested extension. The mathematical derivation of the theory is given in Appendices. Three examples relevant to alcohol displacement are discussed to explain the use of this theory: (1) system of two immiscible fluids (the Buckley-Leverett case); (2) system of two slightly miscible fluids involving an extension of the Buckley-Leverett construction; and (3) system of three components, including injection of pure alcohol or alcohol-rich fluid as a special case, which involves a more general extension of the Buckley-Leverett construction. In these discussions strict assumptions were made to impose equilibrium conditions and exclude mixing and fingering. Effects of relaxing these assumptions and consequent extensions of the theory are indicated. The complexity of the alcohol displacement process makes experimental verification of the theory essential. Some relevant evidence is offered in this paper.

Jan 1, 1965