Search Documents

Jan 1, 1894

AS provided in Article VIII, Section 4 of the By- laws, the Papers and Publications Committee has formulated the following, rules of pro-cedure and submitted them to the Board of Directors for consideration and approval. In preparing these rules the committee, and an active subcommittee con-sisting of Messrs. Norris, Sharpless; Fohs and Wither-ell, have kept in mind the desirability of codifying the practice that has grown up through the now sev-eral years of experience of the committtee, without casting them in a mold so rigid as to be hampering. The problems of the Institute change from year to year and the methods of publication must change also to meet each new situation as it arises. "The estab-lishment of divisions and special volumes devoted to the papers. read before each required certain changes from former practice. These rules have been framed with this in view. The committee suggested, however, in its letter of transmittal, that the system will be made all the more workable if the Board will, as far as practicable, in making appointments to this committee, arrange for representation from each of the professional divisions and technical committees. It is understood that the chairman of the committee will be named by the Board. The rules regarding spe-cial volumes have been framed, keeping in mind the present policy of distribution, as already approved by the Directors under which the special volumes go only to the special. groups except on request. The committee has not attempted to provide rules governing consideration of any appeal made to the Board from one of its decisions, but its services and files will necessarily be at the full service of the Board in any such event. The rules which were ap-proved by the Board at its meeting on March 30, 1928, are as follows: Signed by C. S. Witherell, Chairman. (A) The authority of. the Committee on Papers and Pub-lications, hereinafter called the Committee, is defined in Art. VIII, Sec. 4 of the By-laws of the Institute, which reads as follows: "Papers and Publications: The Committee on Papers and Publications shall consist of the Secretary of the Institute, and at least twelve members of the Institute, to assist in passing on all papers offered for publication. They shall be appointed annually by the Board of Direc-tors, on recommendation of the President, and shall have authority, subject to appeal to the Board, to accept or reject papers for publication in the Transactions and Technical Publications of the Institute. The Commit-tee shall formulate a set of rules of procedure which, when approved by the Board, shall have the force of By-laws until revoked or amended." The policy of the Committee will be to uphold the ob-jects of -the Institute as set forth in the Constitution (Arti-cle 1, Sec. 2).

Jan 5, 1928

By Paul A. Flinn, Jean-Marie Robert Genin

The MCssbauer effect was used to study the distribution of carbon in Fe-C alloys of high carbon content during room-temperature aging. In freshly formed rnartensite the carbon distribution is approximately random; carbon clustering occurs dun'ng aging. In the retained austete the carbon atoms are isolated, suggesting an efiective repulsion; and no rearrangement during room-temperature aging is evident. The kinetics of the carbon clustering in martensite has been studied in detail at 0" . 10". and 20°C. The time and temperature dependence observed is sinzilar to that reported for a variety of other aging effects, such as resistance change, hardness increase, and recovery of internal friction. The stabilization of the martensite kransformation also appears to be related to the clustering effect. DESPITE extensive efforts since the early days of Reaumur, the mechanism which provides the strengthening of steel remains controversial in many cases for several reasons: 1) The structure of as-quenched martensite is not well-determined. 2) Experimental methods capable of distinguishing between various hardening mechanisms are not well-developed. 3) The temperature of formation of many low-alloy martensites is so high that the martensite formed during quenching may be already tempered to some extent before any observation. Among all the hardening phenomena, the most puzzling one occurs at room temperature, where no structural changes have been detected by the usual methods of X-ray diffraction or electron microscopy. However, a new and more sensitive technique became available with the discovery of the MBssbauer effect. This effect makes possible the detection of changes in the local environment of iron atoms in solid solution. It has been extensively used in the study of substitutional alloy systems, for example, Fe-Al,1 Fe-Si,2,3 Fe-Rh,4 and Fe-Ni.5 Making use of the possibility of obtaining new structural information, we undertook an investigation of the aging of high-carbon Fe-C martensite to follow the structural changes involved in the aging at room temperature. Preliminary results6 showed that a clustering of the carbon atoms occurs with time. A systematic study of the kinetics of the process showed a striking similarity to the kinetics of stabilization of the marten-sitic transformation, thus suggesting further investigation of the relationship. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE To eliminate difficulties with the aging of martensite prior to the first experimental measurements, we needed an alloy with an M, temperature not above room temperature. Other investigators7 were misled by results obtained on alloys which transformed above room temperature and underwent structural changes prior to the first Mossbauer measurements. Winchell and cohen8 dealt with this difficulty by using a third element, nickel, to depress the MS below room temperature. The presence of nickel did not seriously interfere with hardness or resistivity measurements, but it would complicate the interpretation of the Mossbauer data by increasing the variety of iron environments. We chose, therefore, to obtain the necessary lowering of the M, simply by increasing the carbon content. After the first quench to room temperature, our specimens are retained austenite, which we later quench into liquid nitrogen. The martensitic transformation takes place suddenly, so that the as-quenched condition of the samples is retained, since the temperature is low enough to prevent any carbon diffusion. A Massbauer spectrum at 77°K can be taken and analyzed; after an appropriate up-quenching to the aging temperature, a new Mossbauer measurement at 77°K can be made. Fig. 1 shows a typical cycle of experiments. The samples were foils 25 p thick of high-purity

Jan 1, 1969

Discussion of the paper of EDGAR L. NEWHOUSE, presented at the Salt Lake meeting, August, 1914, and printed in Bulletin: No. 92, August, 1914, pp. 1801 to. 1806. G. C. RIDDELL, East Helena, Mont.-As nearly as I can recall at the present moment, there are only four or five large plants on the continent where the lead on charge is carried in the neighborhood of 40 per cent. These are at Herculaneum, Collinsville, and Federal, Ill.; Trail, B.. C.; and East Helena, Mont. Our object at the latter point is to smelt a maximum amount of Coeur d'Alêne lead sulphides in as compact and self-fluxing a charge as possible, and to this end we are now smelting a mixture that at times carries up to 42 per cent. lead. The monotony of producing the 7,000 tons of bullion shipped each month to. the Omaha and Chicago refineries is relieved somewhat by the fact that the 15,000 tons monthly of Coeur d'Alêne ores that are com-ing to us carry enough zinc to provide the one-half slag used with from 6.5 to 7.5 per cent. zinc clay after day. During the month of March, 1914, three lead furnaces in continous operation, each 136 in. long, averaged 249 tons per furnace clay, exclusive of coke and slag shells, which is smelting at the rate of 5.5 tons per square foot of tuyère area. The

Jan 11, 1914

By Roy C. Kirkman

It is with great pleasure that I read Mr. Howard M. Wells article in the December 1978 issue of MINING ENGINEERING entitled: "Optimization of Mining Engineering Design in Mineral Valuation." Mr. Wells very adequately presents the case and point that there are a great number of variables which must be analyzed during an economic evaluation of an FUND RESOURCE, such as copper or uranium.

Jan 4, 1979

By J. L. Gregg

A STUDY of copper and silver base alloys was made with the object of finding, if possible, useful alloys subject to dispersion hardening. These studies led to the discovery of several alloys showing considerable dispersion hardening, the most important of which, the alloys of copper with iron, nickel, cobalt and chromium silicides, have since been very ably reported by M. G. Corson.1 This paper is offered as a few notes covering alloys other than those described by Corson and some further data on the silicide alloys.

Jan 1, 1929

By S. K. Nicol, A. R. Swanson, J. C. Day

Addition of oil to a suspension of hydrophobic coal particles can influence its dewatering characteristics. An agglomeration process occurs in which coal particles are held together by negative capillary pressure at particle/oil/water contacts. Consequently, the units round which flow can occur are enlarged and this improves dewatering parameters such as drainage rate, solids recovery, and equilibrium moisture content. This paper discusses processes which attempt to use this principle, in terms of metallurgical and economic efficiency. The discussion is augmented by results of recent experiments on the effect of oil addition to centrifuges and vacuum filters.

Jan 1, 1980

By Victor A. Phillips

A series of strips of a Ni-12.7 at. pct A1 alloy were Prepared containing cubical y'(NisAl) precipitates with edge lengths from 60 to 500A. A particle-free solution-tveated strip was included for cornparison. They weve cold-rolled 95 pct and the effects of particle size on the isochronal (1/2 hr) annealing behavior between 300° and 950°C studied (by hardness and light and electron microscopy). It ulas inferred that the particles deformed with the lnatvix becoming lamellae which remained coherent. Comparison with published data fov pure nickel showed that aluminum greatly re-tavded softening and recrystallization, but it made little difference whether or not particles were present. The presence of pakticles led to a heterogeneous distribution of precipitates after annealing at 700" to 750°C. Recovery was not detected. Recrystallization occurred by the growth of new grains into unrecrys-tallized material. In a previous study by the author,' the growth of Ll2-type ordered yl(Ni3Al) precipitates was followed in Ni-12.7 at. pct A1 alloy as a function of aging at 600" and 700°C. The particles were showo to be cubical in shape in all sizes from 50 to 3000A and remained coherent. This work was used as a guide in preparing the starting structures for the present study of the effect of these particles on the annealing behavior of heavily cold-rolled strip. Another question of present interest was whether dislocation and particle hardening were additive, since the structures before rolling ranged from solution-treated to peak-aged to overaged. Also, precipitation might occur on annealing after cold-rolling. Reference may be made to other papers2"5 for previous work in this relatively unexplored field and only some recent work will be mentioned her:. phillips2 studied the effect of deformable 0 to 590A-diam cobalt particles on a Cu-3.23 pct Co alloy rolled 95 pct and found that the particles, which rolled out into thin lamellae, impeded softening and recrystallization. Tanner and servi3 likewise studied the annealing of cold-swaged Cu-2 pct Co alloy containing 150A-diam particles and found impeding effects. Haessner et a1.,4 on the other hand, found that incoherent 2-p-diam non-deformable particles of B4C (0.04 vol pct) tended to increase the rate of recrystallization of copper rolled up to 95 pct reduction. They attributed this to the formation of new grains at the particle interfaces. Humphreys and artin' found that nondeformable silica particles in copper rolled to 30 pct reduction accelerated recrystallization if the particle spacing was large and retarded it if the spacing was smaller. Haessner et a1 4 also studied a rolled Ni-Cr-A1 alloy; however, the particles of y'(Ni3Al)-type precipitate were not put in before rolling, but separated during the isothermal annealing at 750°C. No previous work appears to have been carried out on the effect of y' (Ni3A1) particles on the annealing of Ni-A1 alloy. Hornbogen and ICreye7 redetermined the solubility c of aluminum in nickel as a function of temperature T and showed that it was given by c = 32.6 exp(-1940/RT). This relation gives aluminum solubilities of 15.1, 14.2, 12.0, and 10.7 at. pct at 1000°, 900°, 700°, and 600°C, respectively. The phase precipitated from the nickel-rich solid solution is fcc y1 (Ni3A1) which has a Cu3Au -type ordered structure8 and remains ordered up to 1000°C.B EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The alloy used was identical with that used before. Chemical analysis showed 6.27 wt pct (12.71 at. pct) Al, the principle impurities being 0.065 pct Fe, 0.022 pct Co, 0.020 pct Cu, and 0.004 pct C. Bar stock of 1 in. diam was cold-swaged to % in. diam, cold-rolled to 0.300-in.-thick strip, and annealed at 900°C in dry hydrogen. It was cold-rolled to 0.100-in. thickness and solution-treated for 1 hr at 1000°C while sealed in a quartz tube in argon, quenching in iced brine with the aid of a device to snap off the nose of the tube. Lineal analysis gave an average grain size of 0.055 mm. Pieces of strip were aged at 700°C in vacuo for 30 min, 51/4 hr, and 1 week to produce nominal average particle widths of 60, 150, and 500A, respectively, as known from the previous work.' The average diamond pyramid hardness was determined. The heat-treated strips were rolled from 0.100 to 0.005 in., a reduction of 95 pct, and the rolled strips stored at about -5°C. Small pieces were annealed within 1 week for 30 min at temperatures from 300° to 950° ±2°C in a horizontal vacuum furnace. Strips were withdrawn into a cooling zone, giving an estimated initial cooling rate from 950°C of about 50°C per sec. Average diamond pyramid hardnesses were determined on a lightly electropolished spot on the surface of each strip using 300-g load. Each point on the softening curves represents a separate annealed specimen. Sections containing the rolling direction were examined by optical metallography. Selected specimens were electrothinned to the center plane' and examined by transmission at 100 kv in a Siemens Elmiskop I electron microscope. It is well-known that changes in the structure tend to occur when a deformed strip is electrothinned below a thickness of a few hundred angstroms, although this is less serious with a material such as nickel which has a high melting point, and also is apt to be less serious when particles are present. Observations were nevertheless confined to thicker regions of the foils with estimated thicknesses over 1000A. No changes were observed due to beam exposure.

Jan 1, 1968

By J. R. Thoenen, M. C. Malamphy, G. K. Dale

THE beginning of the war and the events leading up to it precipitated a near crisis in the aluminum industry. Demands for the metal reached proportions far beyond the prewar production capacities and, in addition, the submarine menace seriously curtailed the importation of bauxite from South America, hitherto a chief source of high-grade ore. The situation required an intensive search for domestic ore to augment the reserves and in October 1941 Congress directed the Department of the Interior to investigate the extent, mode of occurrence, and quality of bauxite in the United States. In December of that year the Bureau of Mines and the Geological Survey began the search for bauxite in Arkansas, where more than 90 per cent of the domestic ore had been produced and where the greatest amount of bauxite was known to occur. The program involves the geophysical and geological investigation of the Arkansas bauxite region and the core drilling of areas considered favorable for the occurrence of bauxite deposits. Cores taken from the bauxite-kaolin zone are sampled and analyzed in the Bureau of Mines laboratory in Little Rock. The information from each of the deposits discovered is then assembled, the bauxite is graded with respect to its possible utility, tonnage estimates are made, and the whole is presented in the form of a war minerals report. Thirty-eight new bauxite deposits had been discovered and investigated at the end of the calendar year 1944, and the presence of several others had been indicated by the drilling. More than 5000 holes had been drilled throughout the bauxite region, and more than 60,000 chemical analyses had been made of samples taken from the bauxite-kaolin zone. A study of the chemical analyses led to certain general conclusions not only with regard to the chemical composition of Arkansas bauxite, but also with regard to its component minerals. Charts and diagrams based on these conclusions have been developed for practical use by the Bureau of Mines: (I) to serve as a check against laboratory analyses, (2) to present tonnage estimates of ore bodies based on mineral composition, (3) to illustrate the relationship of tonnages of bauxite to the alumina, silica, and iron content, and (4) to serve as a control for mining operations by providing a means for quick estimates of the value of the ore from a partial analysis of its chemical constituents. The use of charts and diagrams similar to those discussed in this paper is not new. The use of the trilinear diagram for studying the ultimate analyses of coals as originally proposed by Ralston in Bureau of Mines Technical Paper 93 (1915) showed that the various ranks of coal fell in different areas on the diagram and that volatile matter, calorific value and other properties could also be plotted by the use of contours. A considerable subsequent literature, largely on classification of coals, has accumulated since then, showing the utility

Jan 1, 1945

By Henry J. Schwellenbach

Lack of a system in scheduling the replacement of capital equipment can result in emergency purchases of units which may later be found unsuitable for the job. New York Trap Rock Corp., which produces crushed stone for use as construction aggregate, was faced with just such a situation some years ago. The company replaced capital equipment only when machinery in use was no longer serviceable, or when there was an obvious need for different equipment. Operating and maintenance costs were generally neglected because an efficient method was lacking. New York Trap Rock has four plants located along the Hudson River, all within 70 miles of New York City. Crushed stone output-6 million tons a year-is moved to markets in metropolitan New York, New Jersey, and Long Island areas by water transport. Customers are contractors with ready-mix concrete and asphalt plants located on the water.

Jan 10, 1959

By J. R. Thoenen, M. C. Malamphy, G. K. Dale

The beginning of the war and the events leading up to it precipitated a near crisis in the aluminum industry. Demands for the metal reached proportions far beyond the prewar production capacities and, in addition, the submarine menace seriously curtailed the importation of bauxite from South America, hitherto a chief source of high-grade ore. The situation required an intensive search for domestic ore to augment the reserves and in October 1941 Congress directed the Department of the Interior to investigate the extent, mode of occurrence, and quality of bauxite in the United States. In December of that year the Bureau of Mines and the Geological Survey began the search for bauxite in Arkansas, where more than go per cent of the domestic ore had been produced and where the greatest amount of bauxite was known to occur. The program involves the geophysical and geological investigation of the Arkansas bauxite region and the core drilling of areas considered favorable for the occurrence of bauxite deposits. Cores taken from the bauxite-kaolin zone are sampled and analyzed in the Bureau of Mines laboratory in Little Rock. The information from each of the deposits discovered is then assembled, the bauxite is graded with respect to its possible utility, tonnage estimates are made, and the whole is presented in the form of a war minerals report. Thirty-eight new bauxite deposits had been discovered and investigated at the end of the calendar year 1944, and the presence of several others had been indicated by the drilling. More than 5000 holes had been drilled throughout the bauxite region, and more than 60,000 chemical analyses had been made of samples taken from the bauxite-kaolin zone. A study of the chemical analyses led to certain general conclusions not only with regard to the chemical composition of Arkansas bauxite, but also with regard to its component minerals. Charts and diagrams based on these conclusions have been developed for practical use by the Bureau of Mines: (I) to serve as a check against laboratory analyses, (2) to present tonnage estimates of ore bodies based on mineral composition, (3) to illustrate the relationship of tonnages of bauxite to the alumina, silica, and iron content, and (4) to serve as a control for mining operations by providing a means for quick estimates of the value of the ore from a partial analysis of its chemical constituents. The use of charts and diagrams similar to those discussed in this paper-- is not new. The use of the trilinear diagram for studying the ultimate analyses of coals as of proposed by Ralston in Bureau of Mines Technical Paper 93 (1915) showed that the various ranks of coal fell in different areas on the diagram and that volatile matter, calorific value and other properties could also be plotted by the use of contours. A considerable subsequent literature, largely on classification of coals, has accurnulated since then, showing the utility

Jan 1, 1948

By J. R. Thoenen, M. C. Malamphy, G. K. Dale

The beginning of the war and the events leading up to it precipitated a near crisis in the aluminum industry. Demands for the metal reached proportions far beyond the prewar production capacities and, in addition, the submarine menace seriously curtailed the importation of bauxite from South America, hitherto a chief source of high-grade ore. The situation required an intensive search for domestic ore to augment the reserves and in October 1941 Congress directed the Department of the Interior to investigate the extent, mode of occurrence, and quality of bauxite in the United States. In December of that year the Bureau of Mines and the Geological Survey began the search for bauxite in Arkansas, where more than go per cent of the domestic ore had been produced and where the greatest amount of bauxite was known to occur. The program involves the geophysical and geological investigation of the Arkansas bauxite region and the core drilling of areas considered favorable for the occurrence of bauxite deposits. Cores taken from the bauxite-kaolin zone are sampled and analyzed in the Bureau of Mines laboratory in Little Rock. The information from each of the deposits discovered is then assembled, the bauxite is graded with respect to its possible utility, tonnage estimates are made, and the whole is presented in the form of a war minerals report. Thirty-eight new bauxite deposits had been discovered and investigated at the end of the calendar year 1944, and the presence of several others had been indicated by the drilling. More than 5000 holes had been drilled throughout the bauxite region, and more than 60,000 chemical analyses had been made of samples taken from the bauxite-kaolin zone. A study of the chemical analyses led to certain general conclusions not only with regard to the chemical composition of Arkansas bauxite, but also with regard to its component minerals. Charts and diagrams based on these conclusions have been developed for practical use by the Bureau of Mines: (I) to serve as a check against laboratory analyses, (2) to present tonnage estimates of ore bodies based on mineral composition, (3) to illustrate the relationship of tonnages of bauxite to the alumina, silica, and iron content, and (4) to serve as a control for mining operations by providing a means for quick estimates of the value of the ore from a partial analysis of its chemical constituents. The use of charts and diagrams similar to those discussed in this paper-- is not new. The use of the trilinear diagram for studying the ultimate analyses of coals as of proposed by Ralston in Bureau of Mines Technical Paper 93 (1915) showed that the various ranks of coal fell in different areas on the diagram and that volatile matter, calorific value and other properties could also be plotted by the use of contours. A considerable subsequent literature, largely on classification of coals, has accurnulated since then, showing the utility

Jan 1, 1948

By H. P. Willard, Conrad Martin

SINCE the deposits were found in 1927 in the Paradise Range of western Nevada, more than 1 mil- lion tons of magnesite and half a million tons of brucite have been mined and processed into a variety of granular refractory materials used as furnace linings by the steel industry. An additional million tons of magnesite were used during World War II to produce magnesium metal, and some magnesium oxide from the area is going into magnesia cements. Located near Gabbs, Nev., on the west flank of the Paradise Range, the principal bodies occupy an area a mile long by half a mile wide, and lesser occurrences have been found in a belt more than four miles long and in places almost two miles wide. Magnesite reserves containing less than 5 pct lime are estimated at more than 25 million tons. Reserves of better grade material are considerably less.

Jan 4, 1957

By David Reger

THE value of carbon ratios in determining the boundaries of possible oil deposits appears to have passed the hypothetical stage. The theory that the ratio of fixed carbon in pure coals is an, invariable index of incipient metamorphism in both, surface and underground rocks and that it may be applied in defining the limits of petroleum, advanced by David White,1 has been received with keen interest by many petroleum geologists. Detailed isocarb maps have been prepared of the Pennsylvanian area of North Texas and Eastern Oklahoma by M. L. Fuller.2 A similar map of the coal-bearing area of West Virginia is given here. An isocarb3 is a line showing an equal fixed-carbon percentage, pure coal basis; the term has been proposed by David White to supersede a less expressive nomenclature. The term carbon ratio is applied to the percentage of carbon in pure coal after water and ash have been eliminated. As a comparatively small number of analyses have been made on this basis, it is usually necessary to compute the ratio by dividing the fixed carbon of the proximate analysis by the sum of the fixed carbon and volatile matter of the same analysis. Many thousands of proximate analyses have been made by the West Virginia Geological Survey, covering nearly every county in which coal is found. Numerous others have been made by the. U.S. Geological Survey and the U. S. Bureau of Mines, but as uniformity of results is

Jan 2, 1921

The fundamentals of blasting involve both the properties of explosives and of the rock being blasted. Four of the most important explosive properties appear to be energy density, bulk density, rate of energy release and the pressure- time history of the gases produced. Important rock properties are density and porosity, strength, and energy absorption including the effective moduli of elasticity. Rock structure also has a marked effect on its properties: for example, joints, bedding, and fracture alteration. Several mechanisms enter into rock fragmentation by blasting. These include slabbing, radial fracturing, crushing and bursting by the gas bubble. All of these factors are closely related to properties of both explosives and rock. Slabbing depends upon the first generated stress wave, whose shape and magnitude are a result of the pressure generated by the explosive, its time history and the resultant response of the rock, including its ability to sustain the stress wave. Actual slabbing, in turn, is a function of the magnitude and shape of the pressure pulse and the tensile strength of rock. Further fragmentation depends to a great extent upon the amount of gas in the bubble and its energy and pressure.

Jan 10, 1967

By Glenn C. Waterman, Scott Hazen

3.1-1. Purpose. Development drilling is directed towards determining the grade, volume, and three-dimensional outline of a mineralized zone previously located by exploration. It is distinguished from exploration or reconnaissance drilling, which has as an objective the discovery of new mineralized areas. A development drilling and bulk sampling program should furnish the following information: 1. Geology of the mineralized zone. 2. Quantitative data on grade and tons of material within pertinent cutoff limits. 3. Physical size and shape of the deposit. Areas underlain by waste as well as ore. 4. Mineralogica1 and metallurgical characteristics of the ore. 5. I1hysical characteristics of the ore. 6. Hulk samples for metallurgical testing and grade check. 7. Data on other factors that could affect mining operations, such as ground water, ground conditions, etc. 3.1-2. Procedures. There are numerous methods and techniques that are used to acquire pertinent data on a potential ore deposit. The total cost and accuracy of a development program depends on significant evaluation of the geology, proper selection of a drilling method, thorough analysis of sample data, and accurate evaluation of all the information. Knowledge of the geology of the mineral deposit is important in planning the development testing program and in evaluating the data obtained from such a program. Exploration work usually provides some significant information on the general size, shape, thickness, grade, and geology of the deposit. In some cases no further data are needed; in many cases geological complexities suggested by the preliminary work require further geological study. Of considerable importance may be the following:

Jan 1, 1968

By M. G. Cheney

The purpose of this paper is to review the more important developments in the production of petroleum during 1930 in Texas, excluding the Panhandle and Gulf Coast districts, giving emphasis to trends rather than to statistics. Outstanding Developments Aside from increasing curtailment of drilling operations and general prorating of production by state authority the most noteworthy developments for the year appear to have been: 1. Demonstrations of the fictitiousness of potentials as shown first by Darst Creek pool, rated at 180,000 bbl. and having actually 78,000 bbl. daily, and especially by the Hendricks pool of Winkler County, with potential of about 1,000,000 bbl. daily in mid-year and production of only 52,000 bbl. daily when opened to continuous full production in December. 2. Rapid development of the Darst Creek pool under competitive drilling. 3. Orderly and highly successful development of the Van pool under unit operation. 4. Failure of several highly rated structures southwest and northeast of Van. 5. Extension of the deep Simpson production at Big Lake and increased interest in these pre-Mississippian pays in North Central Texas and West Texas. 6. Discovery of prolific wells in northwest Rusk County from sands of Upper Cretaceous age, portending a rapid and extensive development campaign around the northwest margin of the Sabine uplift. North Central Texas It appears logical to discuss the new developments by districts as set out by the American Petroleum Institute, but North Texas and West Central Texas districts will be treated together. Pre-Mississippian,.—The pre-Mississippian beds, which in previous years yielded a few large wells in Young, Cooke and Callahan counties,

Jan 1, 1931

By E. W. Wagy

The year 1927 witnessed numerous developments of significance in California. The State's shut-in production increased from an average of 58,000 bbl. daily in January to a maximum of 93,000 bbl. daily in August, and a total of about 25,000,000 bbl. was withheld from the market during the year. This not only lessened the effect of large production at Hunt-ington Beach, Seal Beach and Alamitos Heights, but also was a most effective conservation move. Since 1922, it is estimated that approximately 100,000,000 bbl. of oil that would otherwise have been produced have been held in the ground. I. Outstanding Field Developments of 19271 1. Long Beach Deep Sand. 2. Rincon (Seac1iff)Discovery. 3. Alamitos Heights Discovery. 4. Ventura Avenue Extension. 5. Round Mountain Discovery. 6. Mt. Poso Extension. 7. Potrero (Cypress) Discovery. 8. Buttonwillow Gas Development. 9. Goleta Discovery. 10. Union Avenue, Edison and Fruitvale Areas. (See Fig. 1.) II. Crude Production The most important factor in new crude production in 1927 was the Seal Reach field with its adjacent Alamitos Heights townlot area. Production increased from about 10,000 bbl. daily in January, to a peak of 66,000 bbl. in June. Huntington Beach finished the year 1926 with a production of 102,000 bbl. daily, which declined to 60,000 bbl. by the end of 1927. Due to production in these three areas and the tempering effect of shutting in numerous wells, the California production curve for 1927 was held at a fairly even level. Fig. 2, shows the State's production in 1927 and 1926 as compared with 1923, which was the year of excessive

Jan 1, 1928

By N. S. Greensfelder

The firing of explosive charges by electricity dates back to 1745 when a Doctor Watson is said to have used an electric spark for igniting gunpowder. His method failed in practical application because, to ignite blasting powder, heat must be applied for a period longer than the duration of an electrostatic spark; Wheatstone found that this does not exceed 1/24000 sec. The usual result, therefore, of an electrical discharge in gunpowder is to scatter the grains, without igniting them. Benjamin Franklin partly overcame this difficulty by confining the powder and crushing grains that lay in the line of discharge. In 1822, after the primary cell had been discovered by Volta, Robert Hare, professor of chemistry at the University of Philadelphia, noticed the heating of a short piece of wire placed in the circuit of a voltaic battery. Later work by Oersted, Faraday, Wheatstone, and Henley resulted in the developmcnt of the magneto blasting machines. Fulminates of gold and silver are thought to have been discovcrcd by Cornelius Drebbel, about 1600. Pepys, in his diary for November 11, 1663, recounts a conversation with Doctor Allen, who told him about aurium fulminans "of which a grain ... put in a silver spoon and fired, will give a blow like a musquett and strike a hole through the silvel spoon downward, without the least force upward.'ll This fallacious belief that explosives act downwards only is still held by many who should know better. Fulminate of mercury was discovered by Howard in 1799. J. Shaw of Philadelphia is said to have invented a fulminate-of-mercury cap in 1814; his idea was later adopted by gunmakers in England and France. The principal advantages of mercury fulminate for use in detonators are the simplicity of exploding it and the great shock developed by its explosion.

Jan 1, 1923

By N. S. Greensfelder

The firing of explosive charges by electricity dates back to 1745 when a Doctor Watson is said to have used an electric spark for igniting gunpowder. His method failed in practical application because, to ignite blasting powder, heat must be applied for a period longer than the duration of an electrostatic spark; Wheatstone found that this does not exceed 1/24000 sec. The usual result, therefore, of an electrical discharge in gunpowder is to scatter the grains, without igniting them. Benjamin Franklin partly overcame this difficulty by confining the powder and crushing grains that lay in the line of discharge. In 1822, after the primary cell had been discovered by Volta, Robert Hare, professor of chemistry at the University of Philadelphia, noticed the heating of a short piece of wire placed in the circuit of a voltaic battery. Later work by Oersted, Faraday, Wheatstone, and Henley resulted in the developmcnt of the magneto blasting machines. Fulminates of gold and silver are thought to have been discovcrcd by Cornelius Drebbel, about 1600. Pepys, in his diary for November 11, 1663, recounts a conversation with Doctor Allen, who told him about aurium fulminans "of which a grain ... put in a silver spoon and fired, will give a blow like a musquett and strike a hole through the silvel spoon downward, without the least force upward.'ll This fallacious belief that explosives act downwards only is still held by many who should know better. Fulminate of mercury was discovered by Howard in 1799. J. Shaw of Philadelphia is said to have invented a fulminate-of-mercury cap in 1814; his idea was later adopted by gunmakers in England and France. The principal advantages of mercury fulminate for use in detonators are the simplicity of exploding it and the great shock developed by its explosion.

Jan 1, 1923