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By David A. Sterling, Roger C. Malan

The Atomic Energy Commission is investigating the distribution of uranium and thorium in the Precambrian of the western United States and the relationship of time-space-facies patterns of uranium and thorium enrichment in the Precambrian, to the major resources of umanium in Mesozoic and Cenozoic continental clastic sediments. The results of preliminary studies in the southwestern. United States are summarized. Approximately 50% of the uranium resource of the Free World is in deposits of Precambrian age, principally in lower Proterozoic conglomerates in Canada and South Africa (Uranium Resources, Joint Report, ENEA and IAEA, 1967). Most of the uranium resource of the United States is in Mesozoic and Cenozoic continental clastic sedimentary rocks that fill intracratonic basins. The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) is investigating the distribution of uranium and thorium in the Precambrian of the western United States and the relationship of time-space-facies patterns of uranium and thorium enrichment in the Precambrian to the major resources of uranium in the Mesozoic and Ce-nozoic host sedimentary rocks. This paper summarizes the results of preliminary studies of the Precambrian in the southwestern United States including New Mexico, Arizona, southern Nevada, and southern California (Fig. 1). The host rock provenances for the major uranium resources in epigenetic deposits of Mesozoic and Ce-nozoic age in the western United States were in areas of extensive Precambrian exposure along the eastern margin of the Phanerozoic geosynclinal belt (Fig. 2). Mesozoic continental clastic sediments in the Colorado Plateau contain about two-thirds of the uranium resource of the United States. These sediments formed from detritus derived from the Mogollon highland in the southwestern United States where the Precambrian was extensively exposed1-1 (Fig. 2). A genetic relationship may exist between this provenance and the major uranium deposits of the Colorado Plateau. The Pre- cambrian might be equally important in the genesis of uranium deposits whether the most important process in the formation of these deposits was the leaching of low-order intrinsic amounts of uranium from Precam-brian granite or from Mesozoic pyroclastics derived from syntexis of the Precambrian basement rocks.' Precambrian Geochronology of the Southwestern United States The Precambrian geochronology of the southwestern United States is in an early stage of systematic study. Until recently, the only basis of correlation was through inconclusive field relationships. However, with the increased use of isotopic age dating, new data are becoming available for correlating regional and local events. As yet, there is no undisputed evidence of ages greater than 1.8 billion years (by) old in the southwestern United States. However, most geologists who have studied the region agree that volcanism and marine sedimentation of predominately eugeosynclinal facies took place in a northeasterly trending geosyn-cline prior to 1.7 by."' Because of insufficient evidence for a pregeosynclinal continental crust, some researchers believe the geosyncline may have developed on oceanic crust.' However, sediments metamorphosed to 1.7 by-old felsic paragneisses in the Panamint Range, California," and southeastward into southern Nevada are believed to have had a nearby continental provenance. The three Precambrian disturbances that are recognized in the southwestern United States are 1.6 to 1.8 by, about 1.4 by, and about 1.1 by-old (Fig. 3). In addition to plutonism, these disturbances are characterized by predominately lower-grade metamorphism. In this report, lower-grade metamorphic rocks include argillite, phyllite, slate, mica schist, and gneiss with relic sedimentary textures. Higher-grade metamorphic rocks, in this report, are recrystallized beyond megascopic recognition of the original rock type. Principal

Jan 1, 1971

By Jun-Yan Chen, Stefan H. Boshkov

Metal mining in the People's Republic of China has shown great growth during the last three decades. Over 150 new iron ore mines and nonferrous base metal mines have been opened since 1949, althouc.11 most of them of medium and small size. Concurrently, many old mines were enlarged and reconstructed. The production of iron ore has grown from less than 1.5 million tons per year in 1949 to almost 76 million tons in 1978. A corresponding increase in the total annual output in the nonferrous metal mineral industry has also been noted. It is well known that the PRC is very rich in metal mineral resources. The reserves of tungsten, tin, antimony, molybdenum and iron ore are ranked in the top three in the world. Recently, some copper porphyry ore deposits were discovered in Jianxi and Anhui provinces. Some large nickel-copper sulfide deposits were discovered and have been developed in North- West China. Huge iron ore deposits have been found in Liaoning, Hebei and Szechwan provinces. However, the bulk of the iron ores are low grade. The growing metal mineral production has met basic domestic needs since 1949; it has also proven China's big resource potential. Mining methods have also undergone development in the past 30 years. About 80% of the annual output of iron ore comes from open pits, whereas about 58% of nonferrous metal ores come from underground mines. Blasthole open stoping, sublevel caving and induced block caving are widely used in Chinese underground metal mines (table 1). This paper summarizes in detail the planning for and application of these three bulk mining methods in the nonferrous and iron ore mines in China. CLASSIFICATION OF UNDERGROUND MINING METHODS The main principle of the classification of underground mining methods in PRC is ground support in the stoping cycles of the mining blocks or stopes. Table 2 lists this classification. It is essentially the same as that given in the SME Mining Engineering Handbook. Be- cause pillar removal is a secondary mining operation, using a variety of methods, they are not included in this classification. As is the case with most classifications in science and technology, there is no precise division between the classes of mining methods. Because of the rapid development of consolidated filling techniques in the past twenty years, some types of open stoping methods use fill in order to improve the ground conditions for the secondary recovery stage. Thus, these mining methods have features of both methods using no artificial support and those using artificial support. In this classification, this type of mining method is placed in the latter category. The shrinkage stoping method has been employed extensively to mine steeply dipping narrow veins of tungsten and tin in the Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. Shrink- age stoping is placed under the class of mining methods without artificial support be- cause this reflects the nature of the Chinese experience. The function of the broken ore serving to support the footwall and/or hanging wall is limited, because the expectation is for the host rocks to remain unsupported until the stope is drawn empty. APPLICATION OF BULK MINING METHODS Bulk mining methods consist of blasthole open stoping, sublevel caving and block caving. These stoping methods have much in common, such as: bulk ore materials blasted by long holes; higher production rates of stopes or blocks and higher production efficiencies of the whole mining systems.

Jan 1, 1981

By FREDERICK C. BROWN

THE practice of fine-grinding is now being so successfully - carried on in some fields, notably in West Australia, and its advisability has been so frequently pointed out' that the matter in this paper is not put forward as being new ; its chief object being to call attention to the importance of fine-grinding in the treatment of comparatively low-grade ores. I have been engaged during the last five years in the cyanide-treatment of ores in the Ohinemuri district (North Island), New Zealand, and I consider that, in the near future, extremely fine-grinding (almost sliming) will become a very important feature of the milling-methods in this field, since it seems absolutely necessary to reduce the most of ores to a very fine state of division if a high extraction is to be obtained; and, in most cases, the extra percentage of saving will leave a good margin above the increased cost of treatment due both to the fine-grinding and to the interest on the capital spent for the grinding-machinery. The average ore of the Ohinemuri field is composed of a quartz-gangue with some calcite, carrying the gold-value in the form of an alloy of gold and silver in about equal proportions, and the silver-value in the form of mixed sulphides of silver, usually associated with a considerable amount of iron pyrites. In the upper levels, the ores are decomposed and carry large quantities of black manganese oxide and some iron oxide, but, as. depth is reached, the decomposed ore gives place to sulphides and, in some mines, rhodonite, manganese silicate, is present in fairly large quantities. The average value of the

Jan 1, 1906

By C. M. Nickerson

In times of overproduction such as the operators have been struggling against for the past several years it is the practice of the oil industry to shut in certain wells in order to reduce the flood of oil. The purpose of this paper is to present certain variations in production of oil wells when the offset wells are shut in. The scope of the study has been confined to California fields, and more especially to those of the San Joaquin Valley. The accepted definition of a shut-in well is a well where production has been suspended by closing in the casinghead arid tubing or by cessation of pumping. The immediate effect of such a procedure, of course, is to reduce the oil production from the lease, which is the result desired. However, it appears that certain types of wells vary widely in production of oil, gas and gasoline after adjacent wells have been shut in, which variation has a very material effect on the ultimate recovery of oil from the property. The increase or decrease in the oil production itself may not be of sufficient volume to occasion comment, but wide fluctuations in the gas and gasoline recovery under the changed conditions arc of the utmost importance in the future recovery of oil. The scope of this paper includes: (I) the effect on producing oil wells of shutting in offset wells, the wells being studied in three groups arranged according to their relative stages of depletion; (2) probable source of excess gas and the effect on the ultimate recovery of oil; (3) suggested procedure when wells are shut in; (4) methods that could be employed to prevent undue migration of gas from the shut-in area; and (5) the need for future studies of the situation. Three Classes of Producing Oil Wells For the purposes of this paper producing wells in California have been arranged in three groups according to the age of the well, or to the relative stage of depletion of the producing zones. The first group consists of those wells with a high fluid level, or in other words those wells whose fluid levels are a considerable distance above the top of the perforations. This type of well is in the flush period of its life and ordinarily produces

Jan 1, 1929

By William Hamilton Merritt

Since 1880 the occurrence of gold-ore has been known in the Lake of the Woods district. In 1879 the writer examined a so-called silver-location in the lake. More recent developments have extended, south and east, to the Rainy lake and along the Seine river, which flows from the northeast into the Rainy lake. The gold occurs in quartz-veins in the Huronian series. These Huronian rocks occur in belts in the Laurentian; the latter being the predominant formation in the eastern part of Ontario.

Jan 1, 1897

By M. J. Marcinkowski, A. S. Sastri

A detailed compressive stress-strain analysis and transmission electron microscopy investigation has been made of the deformation behavior occurring in a 50 at. pct Ni-Ti (hypoeutectoid) alloy and a 54.5 at. pct Ni-Ti (hypereutectoid) alloy. In the case of the hypoeutectoid alloy, three stages of work hardening are observed. Stage I occurs at a very low stress and is associated with plastic deformation via martensite formation. Stage 11 is characterized by very rapid work hardening and is due to difficulties in causing further deformation in the fine martensite aggregate produced in Stage I. Stage III which occurs at very high stress levels is characterized by smaller work hardening rates and is due to the plastic deformation arising from alternate reconversions of the original martensites to martensites of varying orientation. Rapid quenching of the hypereutectoid alloy leads to very high yield strengths and is related to a fine precipitate dispersion that such treatment brings about. The present investigation represents the final phase of a three-part study directed toward an understanding of the solid-state transformations in near equi-atomic Ni-Ti alloys as well as the deformation mechanisms associated with these alloys. In the first part,"2 to be henceforth referred to as I, it was found that alternate simple shears on {112} planes and in (111) directions convert the parent B2 structure in the equiatomic NiTi alloy into two distinct close-packed monoclinic martensites. All of the marten-sites were of this type, whether they were formed by cooling or by plastic deformation, whether induced to form in bulk samples or in thin foils, or whether examined in the electron microscope at room temperature or below. On the other hand, in the second part of this investigation,3 to be reffered to as 11, it was shown that upon slow cooling to about 640°C. alloys in the neighborhood of NiTi which possess the B2 structure transform eutectoidally into their equilibrium phases Ti2Ni and TiNi3. However, preceding the formation of these equilibrium phases a series of metastable intermediate phases are formed. This paper will set as its goal the elucidation of the remarkable deformation behavior exhibited by NiTi. In particular, Buehler and Wiley4 have found equiatomic NiTi to be surprisingly soft, while Buehler et al.5 have shown this alloy to possess a memory effect: i.e., upon bending at room temperature it will revert to its original shape when heated to above about 50°C. In I it was shown that NiTi was soft in the sense that the yield stress was low; nevertheless, the alloy work-hardened at an extremely rapid rate to very high stress levels. On the other hand, the hypereutectoid alloys with somewhat higher nickel, say 54.5 at. pct (60 wt pct) have enormously increased yield strengths compared to those of the equiatomic alloys. In order to determine the atomistic processes giving rise to the above behavior, it was decided to examine samples that were wafered from bulk specimens deformed in compression to various strains using the techniques of transmission electron microscopy. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE All of the alloys used in the present investigation contained either 50 at. pct Ni (55.06 wt pct) or 54.5 at. pct Ni (60 wt pct) and were arc-melted in the form of a finger using the same techniques described in I and II. The finger was capsulated in a stainless-steel jacket and swaged at 850°C into rods. Compression specimens 0.300 in, long and 0.200 in. in diam were machined from these rods. In order to completely re-crystallize the samples and remove residual stresses, all of them were capsulated in evacuated quartz, annealed for 1/2 at 1050°C. and then furnace-cooled. Compression tests were carried out in an Instron tensile testing machine covering a range of temperatures from —196° to 200°C using procedures described previously.6'7 In all cases crosshead speed was 0.02 in. per min. Wafers 0.015 in. thick were spark-cut from the cylindrical samples at 45 deg to the compression axes after they had been deformed to the desired strain. These specimens were then spark-planed to about 0.005 in. and then electrochemically thinned for examination by transmission electron microscopy as described in I.

Jan 1, 1969

By V. Koump, T. F. Perzak, R. G. Olsson

The rate of dissolution of recrystallized alumina in molten iron oxide in equilibrium with iron at 1450°C was studied by rotating alumina disks in the melt. The samples were rotated from 1 to 12 min at speeds from 54 to 3270 rpm. It is concluded from the experimental results that the process is limited by diffusion in the liquid boundary layer. The interdiffusion coefficient for the dissolution of alumina disks in pure molten iron oxide was estimated to be about 3 xl0-5= sq cm per sec. THE erosion of refractory materials is of considerable importance in iron- and steelmaking processes. Since many refractories contain alumina, this investigation was undertaken to develop a further understanding of the erosion mechanism. Shurygin et al.1-3 have investigated the rate of dissolution of alumina in molten silicates and molten fluorides by rotating alumina disks in various melts. The rates were reported to be limited by diffusion in the liquid boundary layer. In the present investigation the rate of dissolution of alumina in molten iron oxide in equilibrium with iron was studied in a similar manner; alumina disks were rotated at different speeds in molten iron oxide at 1450°C. The relationship between the rate of dissolution of the flat surface of the disk and the speed of rotation was used to determine whether the process is limited by diffusion in the liquid boundary layer or by some chemical reaction mechanism. APPARATUS AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE A schematic diagram of the experimental apparatus is shown in Fig. 1. The iron oxide melts were contained in 2-in.-diam high-purity iron crucibles that were centered in a cylindrical graphite susceptor. Prior to each sequence of experiments, sufficient reagent-grade ferric oxide was added to a crucible to form approximately 350 g of molten iron oxide; the depth of the melt was about 11/2 in. To prevent excessive erosion of the crucible, about 70 pct of the required iron was added to the crucible in the form of iron powder. The mixture was melted in an atmosphere of purified argon by induction heating with a 250-kc generator. After the oxide was molten, a Pt/Pt-10 pct Rh thermocouple at the exterior of the crucible was calibrated against an iron-sheathed thermocouple immersed in the melt and was thereafter used to regulate the melt temperature. All experiments were conducted at 1450°C with a probable error of 10°C. The alumina disks were constructed from pure re-crystallized alumina having a density of 3.7 g per cu cm (porosity approximately 6 pct). For each disk sample a 1-cm-diam alumina cylinder of known length (0.9 to 1.0 cm) was cemented into a ground seat at the end of a 1.27-cm-OD centerless ground alumina tube. The ends of the tube and cylinder were flush and served as the disk surface. When mounted in the apparatus the alumina tube was guided by tungsten carbide bearings and rotated by a variable-speed motor. The bearing and drive assembly could be raised and lowered in order to allow the sample to be quickly moved in and out of the melt. At the start of an experiment, a sample was preheated for several minutes directly above the melt, and then immersed in the middle of the melt to a depth of a in. and rotated for 1 to 12 min at speeds of 64 to 3270 rpm. The speed of rotation was measured by a hand tachometer. At the start and completion of each experiment, a melt sample was withdrawn with a cold copper rod and the alumina content was determined by chemical analysis. During individual experiments the alumina concentration of the melt changed by the order of 0.25 wt pct. Average melt compositions for individual experiments were used in the subsequent computations and were in the range between 0.12 and 4.3 wt pct alumina. The extent of dissolution was determined by sectioning the end of the sample and measuring the final length of the alumina cylinder with a microscope. Since the exposed end of the cylinder, i.e., the disk surface, was etched in a manner characteristic of this geometry, a number of measurements were made on

Jan 1, 1969

By James D. Sisler

Among the various studies made by the Coal Fact Finding Commission, appointed by President Warren G. Harding in 1922 to investigate all phases of the coal-mining industry in the United States and to report to Congress, was one concerning the amount and nature of losses in mining bituminous coal in the eastern part of the United States. This study was carried on under the direction of the U. S. Bureau of Mines. The writer was appointed field engineer to investigate the problem in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Some 400 mines were studied in these three states and conclusions were drawn from many sources of data. The summary report written by George S. Rice and J. W. Paul states that "the field reports indicate that the recovery in Ohio will remain about as at present, except in the Belmont district; whereas in Pennsylvania it will gradually improve, and in West Virginia it will improve rapidly." Since 1922, the writer has been interested in gathering material to substantiate or contradict these prophecies. Nature of Coal Losses There are six general causes of losses of coal in mining: (1) coal left on the roof and bottom; (2) coal lost in room, entry and panel pillars; (3) coal lost in oil-well or gas-well pillars; (4) coal lost under buildings, railroads and boundaries; (5) coal lost in handling and prepayation, underground and surface; (6) coal lost by rolls, thin or dirty areas and under streams. Local economic aspects that dominate the type of mining conditions determine to some extent whether certain losses are avoidable or unavoidable. In general, however, unavoidable losses include coal lost in the protection of buildings, streams, railroads, restricted properties and around oil and gas wells. Barrier pillars and other safety pillars are unavoidable losses as long as their size does not exceed the minimum for adequate safety. Natural physical conditions beyond human control, such as rock faults, clay veins, partings and binders, bad top and bottom, rolls and horsebacks, cause unavoidable losses. Unavoidable losses

Jan 1, 1931

By Ursula E. Wolff

Il.lechanica1 twins have been observed in brigsten single crystals of a variety of axial orientations defornzed at room temperature in tension or bending. The twins formed near the final fracture and were up to 3 p thick. The twinning plane was always of the type (113). Twinning at room ternperature occurred only after considerable prior slip. Twins usually preceded fracture and nucleated cracks. The crack surfaces often alternated between a (001) plane and the twin interfaces. Secondary twins could also nucleate from cracks. In the absence of twinning tensile samples failed by shear; twinned samples failed by cleavage. On the assumption that observed sudden load drops in the stress-strain curves are associated with twinning, a critical resolved stress for twinning of 60, 000 to 65, 000 psi was calculated. MeCHANICAL twinning has been observed in iron and iron alloys at low temperature by a number of investigators.'-7 Similarly, for high-purity tungsten, twinning has been reported for deformation temperatures below 211°K.8-10 In W-Re and Mo-Re alloys, 20 pct Re was determined as the lower limit for twin formation at room temperature." Since the twins are generally very narrow, they are usually identified only by etching techniques. The expected (112) habit plane has always been confirmed by angular analysis of the surface traces. Recently, however, a complete identification by X-ray analysis has been performed on twins in a Mo-35 pct Re alloy.12 During an investigation of the deformation charac- teristics of tungsten single crystals, twins were revealed in tensile and bend samples deformed at room temperature. This paper deals with the conditions for such twinning and the relation of twinning to fracture. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Tungsten single crystals, 1/8 in. in diam, of a variety of axial orientations were grown from un-doped material by four-pass electron-beam zone melting. A representative analysis is given in the following table: From these crqstals, tensile samples with 1 in. gage lengths were made by surface grinding, leaving shoulders for gripping. The diameter after grinding was 0.082 in. The distorted surface layer was then removed by ele1:trolytic polishing which reduced the diameter of the gage length to 0.080 in. Tensile tests were carried out at room temperature in an Instron machine under two different sets of conditions: a) Rigid mounting; strain rate 0.02 in. per in. per min. b) Gimbal mounting; strain rate 0.002 in. per in. per min up to a total strain of approximately 0.2 pct, then 0.01 in. per in. per min to fracture. Stress axis and growth direction coincided in all samples and are subsequently called orientation.

Jan 1, 1962

By Edward Keller

In a paper, " A Study of the Elimination of Impurities from Copper-Mattes, etc.," presented to the Institute at the Atlantic City meeting, February, 1898, I gave certain figures which I called the relative slaggability in refining copper. In that paper* will be found the following pertaining to this subject: Relative Slaggability in Refining Converter-Copper. Cu. Pb. Bi. Sb. As. Se, Te. 1 129.5 1.13 7.30 5.22 0.81 and Relative Slaggability in Refining Electrolytic Copper. Cu. Pb. Sb. As. 1 41 9.97 7.13 Since there is a, possibility of misinterpretation of the above values, the following supplementary information may seem justified in explanation. As the contents of impurities in the unrefined or crude copper were unknown, the contents of the refined copper were substituted therefor, merely in order to obtain the two series of figures for comparison. These figures are higher than they would be had I been able to take the correct ones for the unrefined copper. The high figure, 129.5, for lead, in the case of converter-copper, means simply that more lead was slagged from the crude copper than remained in the refined copper; or, in definite values, that to 1 per cent. of copper slagged, the ratio of the lead gone into the slag and the lead remaining in the refined copper is 129.5 : 100. It is possible to approximate the true slaggability much more closely by adding the quantities of impurities in the refined copper to those in the slag, thus obtaining values for the crude copper in which the amounts volatilized are ignored (the latter

Jan 1, 1901

By Bernard MacDonald

THE writing of this paper was prompted by the discussion by H. M. Chance, in the April Bulletin, of the paper written by Thomas M. Chance which appeared in the February Bulletin., and by the remarks of the Editor in which lie stated that while the matter contained in discussion did not refer to the original paper it "was presented as of interest to the operators of cyanide and other lixiviation processes dealing with fluid mixtures of varying specific gravity." For some years past the principle enunciated in the discussion referred to has been known to the writer and demonstrated by him to be an efficient and economical way of separating water or solution from solids in the cyanidation, lixiviation or acid leaching of ore pulps: In utilizing this principle in commercial practice he has invented a method whereby not only the separation of solution from solids may be effected in any given tank, but also the counter migration of the solids and solution may be effected continuously through a series of tanks in which the hydro-metallurgical treatment of ore pulps is being carried on. In effect this method is analogous to the counter-current system, but is different physically in that it is carried on throughout a series of tanks on practically the sane level, continuously and automatically, by hydrostatic pressure and gravity-flow, without the aid of intervening pumps or elevators, at the same time that agitation is being carried on in the same tanks. In the Parral system, agitation is effected in tanks by a number of air lifts of comparatively small diameter through which the pulp is continuously transferred from the bottom of the tank and spouted horizontally on top of the charge. The spouting force of the several streams thus discharged maintains a rotary flow in the pulp charge which extends from top to bottom of the tank. This continuous transfer of pulp and the spiral flow from top to bottom of the tank maintains the pulp constituents in uniform proportions and meets the requirements of efficient treatment in a most economical manner. The quantity of. compressed air required is very small, as the pulp is not lifted but simply trans-

Jan 7, 1918

By I. N. Knapp

Introduction.—The spccial object of these notes is to describe the mixing, testing, and use of mud-ladened water for rotary drilling in such a way as to make them helpful to the driller, the operator, or the engineer in solving his own special drilling problems. The structures, apparatus and tools used are indicated in a general way. No attempt is made to describe the art of rotary drilling; only such descriptions as are necessary to make plain the use of mud are given. The information is the result of actual experience in drilling in Coastal Plain formations. The materials encountered in the wells drilled were unconsolidated sands, gravels, and clays, in which thin layers of sandstones, shell conglomerates, and shales began to appear at about 1,200 ft, in depth, although one well was drilled to 3,018 ft. without encountering any cemented or indurated materials. Unusual Conditions.—-The general surface of the ground where the drilling was done being hardly a foot above mean tide, and the daily tidal variation being about 15 in., it was found necessary to plank over the sod surface with 3-in. plank to work from. A 30 by 30 ft. planked area was sufficient to carry the derrick with equipment and 2,500 ft. of 4-in. drill pipe stacked in it. The derrick was set up 3 ft. on cribbed blocking arranged to spread the load over the planking. The engine, bailers, and pipe yard were also carried on 3-in. planking. Drilling 0utfit.—This consisted of a derrick, 20 by 20 ft. and 84 ft. high, two 35-h.p., "oil country" boilers, one double 8 1/4 by 10 in. reversible engine, two 10 by 6 by 12 in. duplex mud pumps, one 15-in. rotary, "hoisting works" with chain drive, hoisting block with line, crown block with pulleys, rotary jetting swivels, hose, complement of tools, pipes and connections, and a mud mixer, with engine. Hydraulic Rotary Drilling Method.—This method of drilling is an adaptation of Fauvelle'sl invention made in France in 1833 for drilling

Jan 1, 1915

By Reed W. Hyde

SOME information has been published on the sulphur dioxide concentration of gases from Dwight-Lloyd machines sintering lead ores but most of this relates to the customary practice in which the charge is relatively high in lead and is sintered in two passes over the machine. It is thought, therefore, that the following observations on sintering in one pass a low-lead, low-sulphur charge may be of interest. The data were obtained in sintering lead sulphide flotation concentrates mixed with minus 20-mesh oxide ore, the mixture carrying 16.8 per cent Pb and 5.3 per cent S. No returns were used because of the limited amount of sulphur available as fuel, but the mixture pelletized readily to make a satisfactorily permeable bed on the sintering machine. As there was a possibility that the SO2 might be utilized, a series of runs was made to determine the concentration of SO2 in the gases at different points along the wind box, and the effect on this concentration of changes in the wind-box vacuum. Several runs each were made with vacuums (as measured in inches of water at the wind box) of (1) 2 to 1 3/4 in., (2) 4 to 3 1/2 in. and (3) 6 to 5 1/8 in. The averages of the determinations from each series are platted on the graph (Fig. I). The vertical scale shows the percentage by volume of SO2 (as determined by the Reich method), and the horizontal scale shows the time expressed as percentage of the total sintering time. Sintering was considered to be complete when no SO2 could be detected in the gases. In all cases the depth of bed was 4 1/2 in. and the weight of dry charge per square foot of hearth area was 45.2 lb. Other data are given in the table. The volume of gases corresponding to the several points along the wind box at which SO2 determinations were made could not be measured, but has been calculated from the SO2 content and sulphur elimination on the assumption that the volume is uniform throughout the sintering period. This is not strictly true, as with a given vacuum the volume will usually drop slightly toward the middle of the period and increase toward the end. However, this assumption is a reasonable approximation. Several interesting features are brought out by these data. In general, the published data on SO2 concentration in sintering under ordinary conditions show a high SO2 concentration in the early stages followed by a rapid decrease in concentration and with relatively little SO2 in the gases from the last half or third of the operation. In other words, the greater part of the sulphur elimination is obtained in the first third or half of the period. In these runs, the 6-in. vacuum, which approximates the usual operating condition, gives a curve that follows this customary pattern. Maximum SO2 concentration is obtained 2 ½ min. after

Jan 1, 1942

By R. L. McCarron, G. R. Belton

The diffusivities of oxygen and sulfur in liquid iron have heen determined hy a capillary technique in which the surface concentrations of the solutes were established by means of appropriate H2/H2 and H2S/H, gas mixtures. Total diffusate and concentration profile results are shown to be in good accord, yielding for- 1560 and Supporting results at 1660°C are also presented. The conditions necessary to avoid gas transport control in this type of experiment are discussed. IN spite of their importance in understanding the kinetics and mechanisms of refining reactions, the dif-fusivities of oxygen and sulfur in liquid iron are not well established. Accordingly, as a first step in studies of rates of solute absorption from the gas phase into liquid iron, new measurements of these diffusivities have been made and are presented in this paper. The only published results for the diffusion of sulfur in pure liquid iron are those of Kawai.' He used a diffusion couple technique in which two cylindrical specimens, one containing sulfur and the other with negligible sulfur concentration, were joined together and held in a refractory capillary. After an experiment, the sample was quenched and the concentration distribution of the solute determined. Kawai recognized that significant changes in solute distribution occurred during melting and freezing and he attempted to correct the concentration profiles for these effects to give a sulfur diffusivity of 4.6 x 10-6 sq cm per sec at 1560°C. The method of correction, however, was not rigorous and the uncertainty in this result cannot be easily assessed. Koslov et a1.2 have reported the diffusivity of oxygen in iron as 7.8 x 10"3 sq cm per sec at 1660°C. This value appears to be unreasonably high but, unfortunately, details of their experiments are not available. Shurygin and Kryuk have used the rotating disc method for a study of oxygen diffusion in liquid iron. In their experiments a silica disc was rotated in liquid iron containing oxygen, and the rate of formation of liquid iron silicate was determined by measuring the decrease in weight of the disc. On the assumption that the rate of dissolution was controlled by the diffusion of oxygen in the iron, the diffusion coefficient was computed to be 5.2 x sq cm per sec at 1550°C. However, the Levich equation, which was used to interpret the rate data, was originally de- rived for the case of mass transfer between a solid disc and a single-phase liquid. The hydrodynamic and diffusion boundary layers in the iron stirred by a disc, via coupling of the silicate melt, may be appreciably different from those predicted by Levich's equations. Recently, Novokhatskiy and Ershov, using an identical experimental method to that of Shurygin and Kryuk, obtained a diffusivity for oxygen in liquid iron of 1.22 x 104 sq cm per sec at 1550°C: no reasons were offered for the disagreement. Schwerdtfeger5 has also recently studied the diffusivity of oxygen in liquid iron. He reacted shallow melts of liquid iron, 0.5 to 1.0 cm deep and contained in high-purity alumina crucibles, with appropriate H20-HZ-He mixtures. The total sample was analyzed, without sectioning, to obtain the average concentration of diffusate. A value at 1610°C of D = 12(3) x 10-5 sq cm per sec was obtained from the results of twenty experiments.= Oxygen profile measurements, which were carried out in three additional experiments using long capillaries and the semiinfinite boundary conditions, indicated a diffusivity about half that computed from the shallow bath experiments. Possible sources of error in Schwerdtfeger's study will be discussed later in this paper. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE The essential arrangement of the diffusion cell is shown in Fig. 1. The liquid iron was contained in an alumina capillary, 3 to 4 mm diam and 3 to 9 cm long, which was supported by a hollow alumina pedestal and this whole assembly was held within a movable alumina reaction tube. This tube, which was about 7 mm in bore

Jan 1, 1970

By A. J. Teplitz, J. K. Rodgers, E. M. Pohoriles

This note is presented in order to call attention to a newly developed laboratory apparatus that appears to have interesting possibilities for the study of lost circulation of the pressure-parting type, for a more realistic evaluation of sealing materials for this type of loss, and for investigation of other aspects of hydraulic fracturing. A study of lost circulation, conducted jointly by operating divisions of the Gulf Oil Corp. and the Gulf Research & Development Co., has been in progress for the past few years. Earlier phases of the study dealt with mechanical factors contributing to loss of returns in laminar type sediments.' One aspect of this type of loss which has been widely discussed in the literature and elsewhere concerns the geometry of the fractures into which such losses occur. This subject is not merely a philosophical one, but has an important bearing on procedures for combating lost circulation difficulties and on other well operations. The further course of the collaborative studies previously mentioned has produced some information on this subject which, though limited in amount, is believed to be significant. In several typical cases of lost circulation in laminated shale and sand formations, the wells have been surveyed with instruments2,3 capable of detecting the points of loss with considerable accuracy. These wells were located in the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana, in the Texas Panhandle, and in the Rocky Mountain area. In each of these instances the loss was shown to be occurring at some distance removed from the bottom of the hole and sharply confined to a very narrow interval, less than 1 ft in thickness. It is rather difficult to imagine that fractures of a vertical nature' would be of the limited extent indicated by the surveys in these wells. Furthermore, the high rates of loss at relatively low pressure differentials observed in some of these instances together with the narrow intervals involved would appear to require the radial flow pattern which would be associated with a more or less horizontal fracture plane. In view of the foregoing observations and records of successful squeeze cementing operations, in attempting to construct a laboratory apparatus For simulating pressure induced lost circulation, it was decided that the design should be based on a horizontal type of fracture. It was realized that5,6 Vhe production of horizontal fractures in a formation with non-penetrating fluid requires some mechanism for transmitting vertical components of the hydraulic forces to the plane of parting. This was accomplished, as will be evident in the description of the apparatus that follows, by providing recesses in the wall of the borehole which are believed to be representative of wellbore configuration found in Gulf Coast wells. The possible influence of such borehole irregularities on both pressure fracturing and the treatment of lost circulation appears to have been neglected in many studies of these subjects. It is believed that the present apparatus, incorporating features that take into account some of the factors mentioned, will provide means of gaining a further understanding of pressure induced fracturing and possibly for more realistically evaluating the numerous sealing agents, particularly the non-time-setting materials employed in treating the pressure-parting type of loss. DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS The test cell used in the laboratory investigations is shown in Fig. 1. A schematic diagram of the entire system is shown in Fig. 2.

Jan 1, 1956

By Jr. F. M. Perkins.

Capillary forces play a controlling role in water-drive displacement processes both in laboratory experiments and in actual reservoirs, but their quantitative importance may be quite different in the two cases. Because of the importance of conducting laboratory experiments which are representative of field conditions, it is necessary to understand exactly the role of capillary forces in the displacement process. Though a number of experimental investigations related to this subject are contained in the literature, there appears to be a lack of information pertaining to unsteady-state experiments in water-wet media. This experimental study was conducted to obtain additional laboratory data to clarify further the role of capillary forces in both the macroscopic and microscopic flow of oil and water in porous materials. THEORETICAL CONSlDERATlONS The capillary pressure is defined as the difference in pressure between a continuous oil phase and a continuous water phase in a porous material.' The magnitude of this pressure difference depends on the interfacial curvature and the interfacial tension. The interfacial curvature is determined by the geometry of the pore spaces, the wettability of the rock surfaces, and the quantity of cach phase present. Capillary forces are involved in a water-drive displacement process in that they exert a controlling influence on the microscopic fluid distribution which in turn is reflected in the saturation or macroscopic flow behavior. Microscopic Fluid Distribution Because of the microscopic nature of the displacement of oil by water, it is necessary to consider the flow and the fluid distribution in individual pores. On this microscopic scale the capillary Forces, which act over a distance of one or two sand grain diameters, control the distribution of oil and water under static equilibrium conditions. When an external force is applied to the fluids, such as in a water-injection experiment, the applied forces tend to distort the oil-water interfaces. However, in most fine-grained, water-wet sands, the applied pressure difference across one or two grain diameters is usually several orders of magnitude less than the capillary pressure difference. These con-siderations lead to the theory' that even during flow the capillary forces continue to control the microscopic distribution of oil and water within the pores of a porous material for all practical reservoir and laboratory flow rates. This concept of capillary forces controlling the microscopic distribution of fluids has been substantially verified by other investigators3-7 who have found a lack of dependence of relative permeability and residual oil saturation on rate of fluid injection. Macroscopic Distribution The microscopic influence of capillary forces cannot be observed easily and only the effect on the macroscopic or average saturation can be detected. The saturation, of course, is really the point of interest. During a water flood, large differences in saturation at the flood front cause large capillary pressure gradients. This, in turn, causes water to advance ahead of the flood front thereby reducing the capillary pressure gradient in this region. The result is that in homogeneous porous media capillary pressure gradients tend to cause a diffuse displacement front. At low rates in laboratory columns, the front may extend over the entire column length. When the advancing water first reaches the outflow face of a core, the water, which is the wetting phase, cannot be produced because the pressure in the water just inside the core is lower than the pressure in the oil-filled space around the outflow face. This difference in pressure is equal to the capillary pressure for the water saturation existing at the outflow face. Water, therefore, accumulates at the outflow end of the core which causes a reduction in the capillary pressure. Because the capillary pressure does not vanish except at the residual oil saturation,7,8,9 water will not be produced until the residual oil saturation exists at the outflow face. This entire effect,"' which is called the "boundary effect", results in a region of relatively high water saturation near the outflow face. At low rates of injection in a short column, this region of high water saturation may extend over a considerable portion of the column. The influence of capillary forces on the macroscopic flow of oil and water have been described by Leverett.10 For unidirectional, viscous flow in the absence of gravity segregation, the expression in dimensionless form for the fraction of water in the flowing stream, f, is

Jan 1, 1958

By M. H. Yoo

Possible interactions of the perfect dislocations of six slip systems or the c dislocation with the (10i2f (ioii), {ioIi}(ioiZ), {1122}(1123), and {1121}(ii26) type twins in hcp metals have been analyzed from the crystallographic and the energetic points of view. Twenty-six distinct types of possible interactions were identified, and those selected based on crystallographic constraints were examined for their energetic feasibilities by use of the anisotropic energy factors. No long-range elastic interaction exists for a dislocation when its Burgers vector is parallel to the twin interface. Under a suitable applied stress, a screw dislocation can cross slip at the twin interface. For basal mixed dislocations in cadmium and zinc, the interaction with {1012} twins is found to be attractive, indicating that incorporation of these dislocations into the twins is energetically feasible and that twin growth will result. On the other hand, the interaction between both basal and Prism mixed dislocations and the {1012} and (1121) twins is found to be repulsive in Mg, Co, Re, Zr, Ti, Hf, and Be. This indicates that under an applied stress a local stress concentration will develop due to a dislocation pileup at the interface, which may result in a site for either the nucleation of other twins or the formation of a crack, depending on the cleavage strength. WHEN a metal undergoes plastic deformation, a certain configuration of slip dislocations will result in a state of dislocation pileup against an obstacle. The stress concentration thus developed may enhance the process of twin nucleation and also twin growth. Furthermore, once formed and dispersed in the crystal, twins can act as effective barriers against slip dislocations. The degree of such mutual influence or interrelation between slip and twinning is generally known to be pronounced in the case of hcp, metals. It is also known that deformation by twinning occurs more commonly in hexagonal metals than in cubic metals. In fact, under suitable stress states, all hexagonal metals exhibit {1012) <1011> type twinning.&apos; In addition to this common type, deformation by (1151) <1126> type twinning occurs in zirconium, titanium, and rhenium, which show remarkable ductility.&apos; The importance of twinning during general deformation to the ductility of hcp polycrystals has been briefly discussed in recent review works.2&apos;3 The purpose of this paper is to analyze the interaction between slip dislocations and twins in the hcp structure and to discuss the nucleation and growth processes of twinning and the role of twinning in the <"°" noil) o, 1/3[112O] (OOO2) 1/3[1123] Fig. l—-Slip systems in hcp structure. ductility of hexagonal metals. The problem will be discussed from the geometric and the energetic points of view in a manner similar to that of the previous work on zinc.4 Since hcp crystals deform by several slip and twin systems, numerous interactions result as possibilities. The Burgers vectors of six slip systems and the c dislocation shown in Fig. 1 and the four twin systems listed in Table I are considered here. A complete tabulation of the possible interactions is followed by discussion of those that are more likely to occur on the basis of crystallographic constraints and energetic considerations. 1) CRYSTALLOGRAPHY OF TWINNING The crystallographic elements, K1, K2, n1, and n2, for the four compound twin systems are now well established.= A unit cell with the base vectors n1, and n2 is shown in Fig. 2 for each twin system. The unit cell before twinning is shown in solid line, and the corresponding unit cell after twinning is shown in dashed line. Also shown in Fig. 2 are the following crystallographic parameters: S is the plane of shear, d the interspacing of the twin habit planes K1,Ø Iis the acute angle between n1, and n 2, e is a numerical factor, and q is the number of K, lattice planes intersected by 17&apos;. These parameters can be expressed in terms of the axial ratio, y = c/a, as listed in Table 11. The macroscopic shear strain of twinning, s, and the magnitude of a "unit twin dis-l~cation,"4 bt, are also expressed in terms of y and given in Table 11. In Table 11, K1 and q1 are given in both Miller-Bravais and Miller indices. In double lattice structures, shuffling of atoms in addition to a homogeneous shear of the lattice is generally required if the original crystal structure is to be restored after twinning. The extent of current understanding on this problem of atom shuffling is per- Table I. Four Twin Systems in Hcp Structure

Jan 1, 1970

By C. L. Colburn

Discovery is the first step in the location of the claim. The provision of the Revised Statutes (2320) is, " No location of a mining claim shall be made until the discovery of the vein or lode within the limits of the claim located." Strictly speaking, discovery may be defined as the finding of ore or metalliferous rock in place in a well-defined vein. This definition was too strict, so discovery extended later to cover such indications of the pregence of ore, within rock in place, as would justify an experienced miner in spending his time and money with a reasonable expectation of finding ore in paying quantities. According to Colorado statutes a discovery must show a well-defined crevice; in Arizona, a lode, deposit, or mineral in place; in Montana, a well-defined crevice or valuable depositi; in Nevada, a lode or deposit of mineral in place. It is wrong to require a discovery. An honest prospector, wishing to obey the law, finds himself compelled, in most cases, to evade this point. In Clear Creek district, Colorado, a quartz seam will constitute a discovery; in Butte, a red capping; in Leadville or Ely, it is any place where a man can find a piece of vacant ground big enough upon which to sink a . 10-ft. hole. If the vein or deposit outcrops a man can show a discovery, but if it does not outcrop it is foolish to compel him to show one; and this point has been gently side-stepped. Any hole 10 ft. deep now constitutes a discovery. It is no use having laws that the people cannot consistently ob_ey. No sane man will dig unless he expects to find mineral, and he should be protected while digging. He should be required to show that he has mineral ground only when he comes to patent.

Jan 1, 1915

By E. J. Dulis, V. K. Chandhok, J. P. Hirth

Cobalt clearly increased the activity of carbon in austenite and in ferrite. This effect of cobalt on carbon activity Plausibly accounted for the effect of cobalt on accelerating the austenite to pearlite transformation. Cobalt was found to have only a slight effect on carbon diffisivity in various Fe-Co and Fe-Co-W-Mo austenites, but was found to decrease carbon diffusivity in Fe-Co ferrite. THE effect of cobalt in steel is unique in that it is the only element that reduces hardenability by accelerating the austenite to pearlite reaction. The results of several excellent investigations aimed at explaining the role of cobalt have been published,1"7 but a complete understanding is still lacking. In addition, cobalt significantly enhances the resistance to softening or tempering of highly alloyed highspeed and hot-work tool steels. The resistance to tempering is related to the secondary hardening reactions associated with the fourth stage of tempering during which carbides of molybdenum, tungsten, and/or vanadium form in a martensite matrix. The effect of cobalt on secondary hardening reactions in high-alloy tool steel has received considerable attention, but a full explanation of the reactions involved has not been developed. Inasmuch as austenite to pearlite transformation and secondary hardening involve carbide formation, the present authors believed that the role of cobalt in effecting carbon activity and diffusivity in austenite and in ferrite was important to a fuller understanding of the phenomena involved. TO investigate the effect of cobalt on the activity coefficient of carbon in austenite, an approach was used similar to that used by Darken17 in his experiments on the effect of silicon, manganese, and molybdenum on carbon activity and diffusivity in austenite. TO

Jan 1, 1962

By H. T. Matson

IN the Northern Rhodesia copper fields the size of the orebodies and the exceptionally consistent values over great distances made it possible to outline the ore with drill holes spaced at 1000-ft. intervals; in some cases, 2000-ft. intervals.. Owing to the fact that the size of the deposits made it very evident that much outside capital would have to be called in to develop them and, owing to the wide spacing of the holes, it was essential that the sampling of drill holes be as accurate as possible, so that outside examining engineers could adopt the results as trustworthy within the limits of accuracy of the drilling method. With this object in view, the field staffs of the Selection Trust group of companies have studied for the past three years, and are still studying, drill sampling in a very thorough manner, and for this reason it is felt that these notes may be of interest to engineers or students who are, or in the future may be, in charge of drilling operations. The orebodies in this field lie in shales and sandstones, more or less indurated, in the lower strata of the Roan series, and the copper mineralization is in the form of sulfides predominantly, with some oxidized copper minerals. Those interested in the geology and history of the area can find full details in a recent paper by Anton Gray and Russell J. Parker.1

Jan 1, 1930