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By D. H. Baldwin, R. E. Reed-Hill

Six compositions of polycrystalline ZY-0 alloys, containing up to 4.2 at. pct 0, were tested in tension between 77° and 600° K. The data obtained from each of the compositions corresponded closely to a rela-ion between yield stress and absolute temperature of the form In s/so = BT, where oo is the yield stress extrapolated to zero degrees and B is a constant. In agreement with others who have observed this relationship, it is shown that the activation energy may be expressed as Ho In so/s. In the present specimens Ho is approximately 18,000 cal per mole and is apparently independent of temperature and composition inside the limits of the investigation. It is also demonstrated that this form of activation energy cowesponds to a strain rate sensitivity parameter RT/Ho. Oxygen was also noted to have an effect upon the operative deformation mechanisms. With increasing oxygen concentration there was an increased tendency to observe both nonbasal slip and cross-slip phenomena. Oxygen does not seriously inhibit twinning more than it does slip. Twins were observed in all specimens tested. It is becoming increasingly evident that interstitial atoms in solid solution are able to interact strongly with mobile dislocations. Stein, Low, and seybolt,&apos; have shown that, if the carbon concentration in bcc iron is lowered below the solubility limit, its flow stress temperature dependence is markedly reduced. This suggests that carbon atoms in interstitial solid solution may be responsible for the pronounced temperature dependence of the flow stress normally observed in iron. This view has recently been challenged by Leslie and sober2 who observed a strong flow stress temperature dependence in iron to which a trace of titanium had been added in order to remove carbon atoms from solution. Since the interstitial concentration must be reduced below approximately 1 ppm in order to produce a pronounced effect on the flow stress temperature dependence,&apos; studies of the effect of interstitials on the flow stress in iron necessarily involve serious experimental difficulties in alloy preparation. There are other metals, however, in which strong effects of interstitial solutes upon both the flow stress and its temperature dependence are observed. Of particular significance is zirconium which, according to Domagala and Mcpherson, 3 is capable of dissolving 28.6 at. pct O. The O-Zr alloy system is an almost ideal system for studying the interaction of interstitial atoms with deformation modes since it is possible to form alloys capable of study over an extensive range of compositions. Mills has made such a study using single crystals oriented primarily for single prismatic slip4 and has found an effect of oxygen concentration on the flow stress temperature dependence analogous to that observed in iron due to carbon by Stein, Low, and Seybolt. The present paper is specifically concerned with the effect of oxygen on deformation in polycrystalline zirconium. Although plastic flow in this type of specimen is much more complex than that reported for the single-crystal work, and involves both slip (on several different types of planes) and mechanical twinning, the results of this investigation are in general agreement with the single-crystal observations concerning the effect of oxygen on the temperature dependence of the flow stress. In addition, they also demonstrate that oxygen affects the acting deformation systems. This is in contrast to single-crystal results4 that showed only single slip on a prism plane. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Material. High-purity hot-rolled zirconium strip, 0.2 in. thick by 4 in. wide, of 0.10-mm average grain diameter, was used for forming alloys. It was obtained from the Carborundum Metals Co., Akron, N.Y., whose analysis indicated the major impurities were, in wt ppm: Hf, 540, C, 145; Fe, 100; and 0, <80. The plate texture was similar to a wire texture, with basal planes generally parallel to the rolling direction and basal poles randomly distributed about the rolling direction. The heat treatments described below did not appreciably alter the basic texture. specimen Preparation. Small threaded-end tensile specimens were machined from the plate with axes perpendicular to the rolling direction. These transverse specimens had gage sections 1 in. long by 0.060 in. in diam. The small gage section diameter was dictated by the fact that the alloys were formed by dif-

Jan 1, 1969

By Peter Tegart

The discovery of gold in the Toodoggone River area is credited to Charles McClair who mined placer deposits in 1925, reportedly valued at $17,500. After he and his partner went missing in 1927, efforts to relocate their workings resulted in the formation of Two Brothers Valley Gold Mines Ltd. in 1933, in which the legendary Grant McConachie (first president of CP Air) played an active role. This was the age when the prospector first utilized the airplane to reconnoitre remote areas. What greeted the observer from the air was an area rich in orange and yellow colours characteristic of gossans formed by the oxidation of sulphides. However, Samuel Black, a Hudson Bay Company fur trader, had also noted in his diary as early as 1824, the unusual and many gossanous colours in the headwaters of the Finlay River. These gossans, coupled with white limestone bluffs and the presence of placer gold, attracted the first reconnaissance of the area by Cominco in 1929. Cominco was ever active in remote areas at this time. They staked and worked several base-metal showings hosted by limestone at the margins of intrusive stocks. These early workers also obtained erratic high gold assays from chalcedony float samples found in creeks draining into the Toodoggone River. However, because the samples gave inconsistent assays, no concerted effort was made to locate their source. Except for the occasional horse-supported prospecting party of the late 1940s and early 1950s, the area did not receive much attention until 1968. Work until this time focused on the base metal lead-zinc showings which contained attractive silver credits. Gold was not an attraction because of the set price established by the US government. The late 1960s saw the northward expansion of porphyry copper exploration into the Toodoggone. A program of gossan soil sampling (gossans which had attracted the early workers) was carried out by Kennco Explorations (Western) Ltd. in 1966-1967. They analysed for base metals in the field, using a cold extraction method. The Kemess copper- gold prospect was staked as a result of anomalous copper values from this early geochemical program. In 1968, Kennco continued the program of silt traversing and field geochemical testing. The samples were further subjected to multielement analysis consisting of copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, cobalt, nickel, and silver at Kennco&apos;s North Vancouver laboratory. Several anomalous creeks, high in combinations of copper, molybdenum, and silver, were outlined. Some initial soil grids were also established. The fall of 1969 saw the return of Kennco prospector Gordon Davies and geologist Bob Stevenson to check out a well-defined molybdenum, scattered copper and silver anomaly in soils from a grid on the Chappelle claims. The subsequent analysis of several selected quartz felsenmeer floats yielded one assay which ran in the order of 0.25 kg/t (8 oz per st) gold and 2.2 kg/t (70 oz per st) silver. Subsequent trenching on the Chappelle claims exposed the source of float in a 4- m (134) wide vein of high grade gold-silver mineralization. These results led quickly to the realization that the district had precious metal potential. Subsequent exploration in the period 1969-1974 by Kennco resulted in the discovery of most of the gold and silver occurrences on the Chappelle and Lawyers properties. Several other gold and silver occurrences were found in this district by Cordilleran, Cominco, and Sumitomo, working the district during this period. Conwest optioned the Chappelle in 1973 and explored underground by adit entry as part of a one-year program. In 1974, Du Pont of Canada Exploration Ltd. optioned the Chappelle claims and in March 1980, using reserves developed on the A vein, placed the Baker mine into production at a rate of 90.7 Vd (100 stpd). The Amethyst zone on the Lawyers property, 8 km (5 miles) north of Chappelle, was found in 1973 by Kennco using continued, persistent followup prospecting of silver silt geochemical anomalies. A silt anomaly in the order of 3.4 ppm silver occurred in a stream flowing 300 m (984 ft)

Jan 1, 1985

By B. H. Caudle, L. H. Silberberg

Reservoir depletion by natural water drive is typified by the movement of water from an aquifer into the adjacent oil-bearing formation. Prior studies of this type 01 water movement have generally neglected the resistance to flow in the aquifer and its effect on the movement of water into the oil bearing zone. A method for designing and operating scaled models of such reservoir systems is presented. Experimental data on a model of an edge-water-drive reservoir are shown and discussed. INTRODUCTION Most petroleum reservoirs derive at least a part of their productive capacity from water influx. This water may be injected from the surface or it may come from an aquifer adjacent to the oil zone. In either case, the reservoir engineer must be able to estimate the advance of the water as a function of either the elapsed time or the fluid produced. This paper describes a type of fluid flow model which includes the effect of viscous and gravitational forces in the reservoir and the surrounding aquifer. Natural water influx can be divided into three general (but widely overlapping) categories according to the direction of flow in the aquifer. These are shown schematically in Fig. 1. Fig. l(a) illustrates an edge-water-drive mechanism. In this case, water advances updip along the stratum but the movement of water is essentially horizontal and very little of the oil is actually underlain by water. The bottom-water drive (Fig. l(b)) is characterized by a thick aquifer underlying the oil zone. The water movement is generally vertical in the aquifer. The third category is illustrated in l(c). Referred to as the "thin oil column", this type of oil accumulation consists of oil over water in a relatively thin stratum. Fluid movement is horizontal in both the oil and water zones, except close to the producing well. One characteristic which all three of these types have in common is that part of the water flow takes place in the water invaded region of the oil reservoir while the remainder of the water flow occurs in the aquifer. The resistance to the flow of water usually will not be the same in these two regions. This occurs because the porous rock normally contains only water in the aquifer, while the water-invaded region always contains microscopic globules of bypassed oil (residual oil) which interfere with the flow of water through the rock. The production history of any type of a water-drive system is a function of two phenomena — where the water goes, and how it displaces the oil in the area invaded by the water. It is usually impractical to study these two phenomena at the same time. In most cases one type of analysis is used to predict the gross movement of water in the reservoir, while a different type of analysis is employed to determine the amount of oil to be recovered from the gross volume contacted by the water. The portion of the oil reservoir which is invaded by water is mainly a function of the resistances to fluid flow in the several parts of the flow system. This gross water influx in the three types of natural water drive typically results in water cusping to the production wells either from the side or from below (water coning). In 1747, Muskat described a greatly simplified mathematical model for predicting the area invaded by water in a bottom-water-drive reservoir.1 This model used the Laplace equation and suitable boundary conditions to describe the isopotentials and streamlines in the flow system. The use of this model assumes that (1) the reservoir rock is homogeneous in nature, (2) the oil and water mobilities are equal, (3) there is no oil flowing in the water invaded region, and (4) external forces — such as gravity — do not affect the flow. This method has been used for both natural water drives and water injection projects. In this, as in most models, the method of images is used to reduce the size of the model necessary to describe the reservoir. The assumption of equal viscosities and permea-

Jan 1, 1966

Reading Anthracite, like AIME, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. While Reading marks a century in the mining, preparation and marketing of domestic anthracite, AIME commemorates 100 years of parallel endeavor in promoting the economical production of minerals and metals and the welfare of those employed in the industries dedicated to this pursuit. Both Reading and AIME possess another common denominator, in that both were conceived in the eastern anthracite fields of Pennsylvania, where coal reigned supreme in the early days of mining.

Jan 1, 1971

By Benjamin Gildersleeve

Uniquely colored, thin-bedded quartzite is quarried between Crossville and Crab Orchard in Cumberland County, Tenn. It is produced in all sizes up to the limits of transportation from beds usually ranging in thickness from less than 1/2 in. to 6 in. The stone is very resistant to wear and weathering and is marketed throughout the country for many different purposes in exterior and interior construction. The annual production exceeds 36,000 tons, valued at nearly $1,000,000.

Jan 8, 1950

By J. D. Livingston, H. E. Cline

The lamellar-dendritic transition in Sn-Pb alloys near the eutectic composition has been studied at high growth rates. Lamellar structures were found over a substantial range of tin-rich compositions, and this range extended to increasingly tin-rich concentrations as growth rate increased. These results are discussed in terms of stability and competitive-growth arguments. Various experimental and structural limitations to the rate of directional solidification are discussed. The rate of heat removal at the heat sink is the major experimental limitation. ReCENT interet1,2 in the use of fine composite structures produced by directional solidification of eutectic alloys makes it important to determine the range of composition and growth conditions that yield such microstructures. Because increasing growth velocities produce increasingly finer microstructures, it is particularly significant to determine the factors limiting the rate of solidification. Mollard and Flemings3 have shown that composite structures, free of primary dendrites, can be obtained in Sn-Pb alloys of off-eutectic composition. The composition range of composite structures was found to increase with increasing values of G/V, where G is the temperature gradient and V is the growth velocity. These results are in good quantitative agreement with an analysis of the stability of a planar eutectic interface.4 This analysis specifically predicts that over a small range of compositions stable lamellar structures will be obtained even for G/V = 0, hence, even at very high growth rates. The lamellar-dendritic transition in Sn-Pb alloys has also been analyzed with a model based on competitive growth between dendrites and the composite structure.576 This treatment, based on earlier work on organic eutetics,7 predicts that the composition range yielding composite structures in Sn-Pb will increase rapidly at high growth rates. An increase in the composition range of composite structures at high growth rates was recently observed in Cu-Pb alloys near the monotectic composition.8 In view of these results, and the predictions of the stability and competitivegrowth analyses, it was decided to study the lamellar-dendritic transition in Sn-Pb alloys at high growth rates. EXPERIMENTAL Using 99.999 pct pure materials, a series of Sn-Pb alloys were prepared containing 16.8 at. pct to 27.6 at. pct lead. (Eutectic composition is 26.1 at. pct Pb.) Ingots were extruded to 0.175 in. rod, and some rod was drawn to 0.070-in. wire. Directional solidification was accomplished in two different ways, Fig. 1. For growth rates up to 2 x 10-1 cm per sec, a 0.175 in. diam sample was placed in a graphite crucible 5 in. long with 0.250 in. OD and 0.035 in. walls. Samples were melted under flowing argon in a vertical, platinum-wound furnace, and solidified by driving the crucible downwards through a \ in. hole in a water-cooled copper toroid, Fig. l(a). An insulated chromel-alumel thermocouple was imbedded in the center of a representative sample, and moved with the sample during solidification. The local temperature is plotted against the distance travelled by the sample in Fig. 2. As the growth rate increased, the solid-liquid interface moved closer to the water-cooled toroid and the temperature gradient increased. At growth rates above 10-1&apos; cm per sec, heat was not removed fast enough and the sample moved into the toroid in the liquid state. The curve for V = 2 x 10-1 cm per sec shows a plateau caused by incomplete removal of latent heat from the interface, a problem which will be discussed later. To improve the heat removal, the toroid was cooled by nitrogen gas precooled in liquid nitrogen. This allowed successful solidification at rates up to 2 x 10-1cm per sec. Higher solidification rates required still more effective heat removal. Samples 0.070 in. in diam were placed in graphite tubes 0.125 in. in diam with 0.020 in. walls. Instead of cooling by sliding contact with a cooled toroid, these thinner samples were sprayed or directly immersed into water, Fig. l(b). After solidification, samples were stored in liquid nitrogen until they could be examined metallographic-ally. The surface was prepared with a diamond-knife microtome, followed by a light etch. The presence or absence of tin dendrites, Fig. 3, or lead dendrites, Fig. 4, was noted by optical microscopy, usually of a transverse section near the center of the sample. Replicas of the surface were prepared and examined in an electron microscope to resolve the fine lamellar structures, Fig. 5. The structures observed at various compositions and growth rates are summarized in Fig. 6. Composite structures were observed at increasingly cin-rich compositions as growth rate increased. This transition from dendritic to composite structure with increasing growth rate was also demonstrated by solidifying half a sample at a slow rate and then suddenly increasing the growth rate by lifting the furnace and quenching the sample with a water spray. A longitudinal section of this sample, Fig. 7, shows that the tin dendrites, which extended ahead of the slow-moving composite interface, were bypassed by the composite when the growth rate was increased. The range of composite structures at high growth rates was limited by the appearance of primary lead dendrites on the tin-rich side of the eutectic composition. Observation of representative longitudinal

Jan 1, 1970

The work of the Committee on Industrial Preparedness* is well summed up in the following letter written by Thomas A. Edison, Chair-man of the Naval Consulting Board, after President Wilson and signed the army appropriation and army reorganization bills: "The Committee on Industrial Preparedness of the Naval Consulting Board, of which committee Howard E. Coffin is chairman, after a five months&apos; campaign in many ways unique in vigor and vision has played a very definite part in the measures for the national defense which have just become law. It is responsible for having laid the foundation for a true industrial preparedness in this nation. "Five months ago the committee, wholly non-partisan in make-up, acting with the civil, mechanical, mining and electrical engineers and the chemists of the country, members of five great scientific bodies, began its work in&apos; every nook and cranny of the land. The purpose was to prepare American industry efficiently to support the armed forces of America in the event of war. "The public, the business men and the legislators at Washington knew little regarding the demands on industry in connection with modern war. No department at Washington was charged with the duty of coordinating the needs of the army and navy with transportation, industry, and kindred functions. The purchasing, quartermaster&apos;s and ordnance departments of the army and navy were unable to buy military supplies except by competitive offering in the open market. No one had considered the need, and no legislative machinery was in existence, for preventing the presence of skilled workers on the fighting front when they would in time of war be needed in the factories, mills and mines of the country. Neither at Washington or elsewhere was there even a list of the industrial resources of the nation in such shape as could be used for practical purposes in case war should come. "The three things, then, that the committee headed by Mr. Coffin set out to do and that now have been brought about were as follows: First, to mobilize concretely the business men of America and their output against a day of need. This meant chiefly to discover in fullest detail just what equipment our manufacturers possessed that might be swung over to supply the army and navy swiftly and bountifully from the hour the colors were raised. In a few weeks this initial task, which has been a truly colossal one, will be at an end. A complete report of the equipment of practically every concern of substantial size in the country is now in the hands of the - committee. Directly in charge of the great inventory has been W. S. Gifford, Supervising Director of the Committee. The second step was to procure legislation making possible the placing by the war and navy departments of annual orders for munitions in small quantities to American manufacturers now not producing such things, so that quietly, efficiently and thoroughly they could learn in time of peace how to supply the government in time of war. The new laws make all this possible. It should be said here that this practice will bring about a geographical diffusion of munition plants all over our country, instead of affording us only a few such concerns for the most part near the exposed seaboards, as at present. It is obvious that this system will also throttle all talk of a munitions trust.

Jan 10, 1916

By R. B. Porter, R. P. Porter, R. A. Lothrop

Changes became necessary in dredging methods employed in Idaho through passage of the Dredge Mining Protective Act (1954). Among other provisions, the law requires dredge operators to construct settling ponds of sufficient capacity and character to reasonably clarify the water used in the mining process before such water is discharged into the stream. Porter Bros. Corp., a placer mining company with many years operating experience in Oregon and Montana, became interested in strategic mineral placers in Idaho in 1950 when it was learned that prospectors had discovered a radioactive mineral deposit in Bear Valley Creek, 95 miles northeast of Boise. The company acquired mining leases and proceeded with exploration and development work on the property. After extensive research had resulted in the determination of successful separation processes, contracts were negotiated with the federal government and deliveries of columbium-tantalum and uranium concentrates commenced in 1956. The mining operations are located in a primitive area of Idaho among salmon spawning grounds and crystal-clear mountain trout streams. To avoid involvement in a very controversial issue, it appeared advisable for the company to develop water treatment procedures exceeding those requirements stated in the Idaho Dredge Mining Protective Act. Operation: The company operates one 6 cu ft continuous bucketline dredge and one 4 1/4 cu ft continuous bucketline dredge on the property. The dredges are jig-equipped, with feed being screened to 3 in. by trommels. The screening and gravity concentration methods satisfactorily separate the heavy minerals from companion clays, sand, and gravel. However, this separation of the heavy minerals requires water from the dredge pond with a minimum content of silt and colloids; therefore, water for dilution is added continuously to the dredge pond to suppress solids buildup. Discharge of this highly turbid water to maintain the proper pond level would ultimately result in an excessive silt load in Bear Valley Creek. To prohibit the turbid pond water from flowing directly into Bear Valley Creek, it was necessary to isolate the dredging area. Main by-pass canals were constructed along each side of the dredge pond and numerous secondary canals were dug for diverting seepage and snow runoff. One by-pass canal, extending more than two miles along the west side of the valley, diverts the main stream as well as tributaries entering from the west; a canal east of the dredge area diverts streams entering from that direction. At the beginning of operations in 1956, the dredge pond effluent was filtered through tailings and settled by use of coagulents in a series of lagoons. The filtrate was then discharged directly into the stream. Although this procedure gave satisfactory results in conformance with the state law, ice buildup and lagoon freezing hindered the efficiency of the process during periods of low temperature. For this reason, testing began in 1956 on a water treatment process that would operate efficiently under the extreme weather conditions encountered in Bear Valley. Development of Water Treatment System: Porter Bros. Corp. established the following requirements for effective continuous treatment of dredge pond effluent to the stream which, at low flow conditions, effluent to the stream which, at low flow conditions, would not result in a turbidity exceeding 25 ppm in the stream, 2) produce a sludge sufficiently dense to minimize disposal area requirements, 3) be semi-portable to follow dredge movements, 4) be capable of operating at low temperatures, and 5) be capable of handling a variety of capacities and turbidities.

Jan 1, 1961

This volume summarizes characteristics and the geological setting of porphyry copper deposits of the Western Hemisphere. Grouped by characteristics, porphyry copper deposits are described in six regions: Andean orogen, Appalachian orogen, Alaska, northern Cordilleran orogen, southern Cordilleran orogen, and the Caribbean. Each region has its own peculiarities of geologic setting, and those deposit characteristics that may be projected from one chapter to another will be used in reaching the conclusions from which to draw genetic models for porphyry copper deposits. The term porphyry in this volume denotes a type of ore deposit, rather than a rock classification. The classification of intrusive igneous rocks used in this volume is shown in Figs. 36a and 42 (pp. 103, 130). Some modern classifications suggest mineral-ratio definitions other than those used in this volume; however, most literature references cited are based on the classification shown in Figs. 36a and 42. The reader should be aware, therefore, that quartz monzonite in this volume contains from 35% to 65% potassuim feldspar and at least 10% quartz. A term used in this volume is defined where introduced within the context of a specific chapter. Distensional tectonic conditions are used in the sense of Cady (1972) in the Appalachian orogen, for example. Porphyry copper deposits are defined as large bodies of mineralized rock, usually including a porphyritic intrusive phase, that have copper sulfide minerals disseminated through them. The definition has no commercial connotation and is used strictly in a noneconomic sense to encompass the spectrum of copper mineralization associated with these deposits. Terms commonly accepted in the literature are not defined. Porphyry molybdenum and porphyry copper deposits commonly are distinguished by most economic geologists. The basis for the separation is summarized in one chapter of this volume. To permit the reader to more easily peruse the bibliography for any particular region, references will be found at the end of each chapter. The bibliography is not intended to be complete, but is designed to provide adequate minimum coverage for descriptions of deposits in the chapter concerned. Each entry is properly referenced in the text of that chapter to facilitate the reader&apos;s research into any particular topic. This volume is written from the point of view of the exploration geologist whose task it is to evaluate the structural, petrographic, mineralogic, and metallogenic characteristics of a porphyry copper deposit. The goal of the evaluation is to determine if, and where, concentrations of metals may exist in an igneous- hydrothermal system that includes the most complex set of geologic factors found in any of the many types of ore deposits. The successful porphyry copper geologist is simultaneously a petrographer, geochemist, structural geologist, and mineralogist. Some porphyry copper deposits have developed in volcanic arcs underlain by a Benioff seismic zone with a trench paralleling the arc. The most convincing example of a deposit known to have developed in an environment where subduction is an active process is the 3.3 m.y. (million years) old Dry Creek occurrence in the Aleutian arc (this volume). On the other hand, the younger deposits in the Cascades appear to have formed in a volcanic arc lacking both the Benioff zone and the offshore trench. Subduction is not widely accepted as an active mechanism for the period when the younger Cascade deposits formed. Subduction has also been questioned for deposits formed at a great distance from a plate boundary (e.g., Bingham). Regardless of the pros and cons regarding subduction, most deposits are associated with regional faults. Strike-slip

Jan 1, 1978

By J. B. Scott, J. L. Popham, H. F. Coffer, J. J. Reynolds

This paper concerns field experiments to define the areal extent, orientation and thickness of an artificial fracture in the Sacatosa field, Maverick County, Tex. The fracture was made by a sand-oil treatment of 176,-000 gal of lease crude containing a fluid-loss additive and 270,000 lb of 20-40 mesh subangular Poteet sand. The well was perforated with a jet gun, consisting of six shots in a single plane. Fourteen test holes were drilled at various locations around the fractured well. Drill-stem tests, Micro and Sonic Logs, coring and sampling of formation cuttings were used to determine the presence of the fracture in these holes. The test holes were drilled at distances up to 250 ft in a radial pattern around the fractured well. In addition to fracture areal extent and orientation, sand grain size before and after fracturing, erosion of perforations and fracture thickness were studied. INTRODUCTION The orientation,12 areal extent3, 4 and thickness5-9 of artificially induced fractures in reservoir rock by hydraulic means have been discussed in great detail in the oil industry in recent years. Methods for initiating vertical"&apos; and horizontal" fractures have been tested in the laboratory and the field. Although the methods used give successful well stimulation, good field data on the physical characteristics of the fracture are lacking in the literature. It is recognized generally that properties of a fracture, such as thickness, sand placement in the fracture" and shape, may vary from reservoir to reservoir. This paper gives data on size, orientation and sand placement in a large fracture initiated in a single plane in Sacatosa field, Maverick County, Tex. It is not intended as a speculative study; rather, it is restricted to actual field data on fracture properties. No attempt is made to prove that the same type of fracture occurs in all wells. The field procedure was to drill 14 test holes at various locations around the fractured well. By employing several different testing techniques, the presence of the fracture and some of its characteristics were determined. These techniques as well as the results obtained are discussed in detail in this paper. DESCRIPTION OF FRACTURE TREATMENT N. J. Chittim Well No. 37-1, completed in the San Miguel No. 1 sand, Sacatosa field, Maverick County, Tex., was chosen for the field study. The San Miguel sand is a tight, well consolidated sandstone with an average porosity of 23 per cent. The permeability ranges from 0.1 to 10 md, with a median permeability of 2.3 md. The sand thickness averages 23 ft and is located at depths of 1,150 to 1,700 ft throughout the field.I3 The fracture treatment performed on Well 37-1 was as follows. 1. The well was drilled to a depth of 1,438 ft with native mud, and 51/2-in. casing was set and cemented to the surface. 2. The casing was perforated at 1,349 ft with a fracture-initiating jet gun. This gun consists of six shots, 7/16-in. diameter in a single horizontal plane. The jets were oriented in two groups of three, 180" opposed. The perforating device was designed to initiate a fracture perpendicular to the wellbore.

By S. C. Sun

With the aid of emulsifiers, intense high-frequency sound waves are capable of emulsifying any collector in water. The data show also that ultrasonically emulsified collectors are more effective in floating minerals than the nonemulsified collectors. THE use of ultrasonics in forming emulsions is not new. As early as 1927 Wood and Loomis reported preparation of emulsions with ultrasonics. In 1935 Rschevkin and OstrawskyV escribed the use of great ultrasonic power in producing fine emulsions of various oils and paraffin in water. Recently Oyama and Tanaka3 employed ultra-emulsification to increase the effectiveness of sodium ethyl xanthate in flotation of chalcopyrite and galena. An emulsion is a two-phase system consisting of two incompletely miscible liquids, the one being dispersed as finite droplets In the other. The dispersed liquld is known as the internal or discontinuous phase, and the surrounding liquid is termed the external or continuous phase. There are two types of emulsions; one is oil-in-water (O/W) and the other water-in-oil (W/O). The word oil refers to the liquid other than water. Circumstances exist in which the emulsion type is not clearly defined, and the internal and external phases both contain portions of the opposite phase. This is said to be a dual emulsion. Among the many hypotheses, 5a, B proposed for the formation of emulsions, the Bancroft&apos;s adsorbed film or double interfacial tension theory is widely accepted. Bancroft 7, 8 deduced that in the process of emulsification the interfacial tension between oil and water is lowered by the formation of an emulsifying film, which contains the adsorbed molecules and/or ions from the emulsifying agent and the two liquids. This film has two interfacial tensions, one with the water and the other with the oil, which are not necessarily equal. The difference in interfacial tension between the two surfaces of the film is chiefly responsible for forming different types of emulsions. For example, if the interfacial tension between water and film is less than that between oil and film, the film will become convex on the water side, thereby tending to form an oil-in-water emulsion. On the other hand, if the interfacial tension between water and film is greater than that between oil and film, the film will become concave on the water side, thereby tending to make a water-in-oil emulsion. In line with this theory, emulsifying agents soluble in water have the tendency to form oil-in-water emulsions, while those soluble in oil form emulsions of the reverse type. Apparatus and Experimental Procedure: The ultrasonic apparatus shown in Fig. 1 consisted of a hypersonic generator (A), Brush Development Co. model Bu-204; a hypersonic transducer bowl (B) whose resonant frequency is 400 kc per sec; and a round-bottomed glass tube (C) of 2.2 cm ID and 21 cm in length. The acoustical output power of the hypersonic transducer bowl was standardized with a Hewlett Packard vacuum tube voltmeter, model 41 0B, across the hypersonic generator output. The glass tube, containing the materials to be emulsified, was placed 1 cm above the central surface of the transducer bowl, which was filled with water as shown in Fig. 2. Ultrasonic emulsification was performed in three steps, although a one-step method has been used: 1) emulsifying the predetermined amounts of col-

Jan 1, 1956

By T. P. Papazoglou, N. A. D. Parlee, W. C. Phelps

PRACTICAL designs for good "home made" molybdenum furnaces are hard to find in the literature. The one described briefly below left something to be desired but was good enough to operate as a rather long (30 in.) two-zone furnace for periods of over 2 months at temperature (1400° to 1600°C) without shutdown. The principal problem in our application was to establish a temperature profile with two distinct constant-temperature zones and no dip between the zones. This and other problems mentioned below would not arise, however, if both zones were operated at the same temperature and if a shorter furnace were acceptable. Since molybdenum windings oxidize very rapidly when heated in air, impervious refractory tubes were used for both the furnace core and the outer jacket tube shown in the accompanying figures. A protective atmosphere of forming gas (10 pct H2, 90 pct N2) was continuously passed through the gas-tight annular volume between the core and outer jacket. The water-cooled copper ends shown in Figs. 1 to 3 sealed the ends of the tubes. Annealed molybdenum wire (40 mil) was wound on the recrys-tallized alumina core (35.5 mm OD by 28.5 mm ID by 30 in.) at a spacing of 0.36 in. The spacing was reduced to 0.29 in. close to the ends to partially compensate for end heat losses. Fig. 2 shows two molybdenum-ground lead taps off the center of the winding to produce the two independect temperature zones. The ground lead was insulated with 1/4-in. alumina tubing and connected to the grounded copper end by passing the wires through the gas port tube and crimping each wire into notches cut at the mouth. To prevent sagging of the core at high temperatures, refractory "troughs" were cut from alumina and mullite tubing to cradle the core. The support "troughs" which were 6 in. long and located about 5 in. from each end of the annular volume also served as radiation shields. In view of the different expansion coefficients and operating temperatures of the core and outer jacket (3.5 in. OD by 3 in. ID by 30 in.), the ends of the tubes were smoothed and squared to produce good sealing surfaces, and the core was ground 1/32 in. shorter than the outer tube. The power terminals were passed through their respective conductor ports which were internally lined with alumina tubing and sealed with Armstrong adhesive A-6 leaving about 1 in. of protruding lead wire for external connections. (Adhesive A-6 is a two-component system consisting of an epoxy-type resin with a mineral fibrous filler and an amine catalyst.) Figs. 1 and 3 show the entire assembly of concentric refractory tubes, copper ends, and sealing o rings, held together with two brass flanges and 3/8-in. bolts with heavy springs for dimensional flexibility. The furnace shell (19 by 19 by 30 in.) consisted of a steel frame with sheets of transite forming a box. The copper ends protruded through two 3.75-in. circular holes cut at the center of each transite square end. Thermal insulation next to the transite exterior was effected by K-23 B&W bricks alld in a central volume of approximately 9 by 9 by 30 in. a row of K-30 bricks was lined up to support the hot assembly. The rest of the volume around the outer

Jan 1, 1965

By Lincoln F. Elkins

The Spraberry Trend Field of West Texas was discovered in January, 1949. Drilling of 2.234 wells and production of some 45 million bbl of oil by January, 1953, indicated this to be an important field which will ultimately cover more than 400,000 acres. In addition to being the world&apos;s largest field in areal extent, the Spraberry has presented many problems in well completion and operation and has demonstrated unique reservoir performance characteristics. The pay section consists primarily of a few fine grained sandstone or siltstone members in a thousand-ft thick section of shale, limestone. and siltstone. Since porosity averages only 10 per cent and nearly all permeabilities are less than 1 md, conventional core analysis does not delineate the "pay" section. Mercury injection was used as a capillary pressure test adaptable to rapid routine use to select those intervals having low enough connate water saturation to contain commercially significant oil saturation. In the central area of the field this "pay" amounts to 16 ft of Upper Spraberry and 15 ft of Lower Spraberry sands. An interconnected system of vertical fractures, observed in cores, provides the flow channels for oil to drain into the wells hut most of the oil is stored in the matrix since the void volume of fractures is estimated to be less than 1 per cent of that in the sand. Initial potentials of wells range up to 1.000 B/D after fracture treatment which should be compared with estimated capacity of 5 to 10 B/D if oil had to flow into the wells through the sand itself. Without exception initial pressures of later drilled wells were significantly lower than initial pressures of earlier drilled nearby wells in a large area some 6 miles long. This means the earlier drilled wells had drained fluids from areas much greater than their 40-acre proration units. Since most of this performance occurred while the reservoir pressure was above the. saturation pressure it was analyzed by the compressible fluid flow theory. This analysis gave calculated initial presrilres which agreed within 30 psi of measured pressures of 60 per cent of wells in the area using 16-md permeabilitv corresponding to a fracture system substantially that indicated by cores and using combined compressibility of rock and its contained oil and water corresponding to the core analysis data. The most important feature of this analysis was the very close agreement between effective compressibility of the rock and its contained oil and water from the field performance and that from the core tests, because it meant there are no "islands" of low permeability reservoir rock left untapped in the inter-well area and thus no additional wells are necessary to insure that at least one well penetrates each "reservoir." Twenty-five of forty-four 40-acre spaced wells on three contiguous sections were wed in a four-month inteference test. Six shut-in well. were tested monthly for oil production. productivity index. gas-oil ratio and pressure buildup, and seven shut-in wells were tested for decline in reservoir pressure. Tests on 12 regularly producing wells gave comparative data for interpretation of shut-in test wells. Reduction in reservoir pressure, decline in productivity index. and increase in gas-oil ratio were found to be substantially the same in the shut-in test wells as those in the comparative regularly producing wells, meaning that the producing wells were depleting the

Jan 1, 1953

By Joseph L. Gillson

In this volume, which is divided into chapters on a commodity basis, many subjects inevitably have a common interest with others, or are interrelated in one way or another. No group of commodities is so outstanding in this regard as is that group of which the basic raw material is a carbonate rock. There are chapters in this book on dimension stone, on crushed stone, on chalk and whiting, on cement, on lime, on magnesite, on sodium carbonate; all of which are entirely, or partly, products of the "carbonate rocks." Rhodochrosite, witherite and strontianite are other carbonates described respectively in chapters on manganese minerals, barium minerals and strontium minerals; and travertine and cave onyx are carbonate materials used as ornamental stones. High grade marble is used for monuments and statues and as a decorative building stone. The aggregate tonnage of the basic raw material, the carbonate rock, is so enormous that it exceeds the tonnage of any metallic ore mined and quarried in the United States, and in turn is exceeded only by coal, sand and gravel, and by water in the gross tonnage produced by the mineral industry in this country. The specialties, including magnesite, sodium carbonate, and rhodochrosite, witherite and strontianite are produced from uncommon rock types of limited occurrence. They are described adequately in the chapters devoted to these subjects. This chapter is concerned with the limestones and dolomites. No other solid rocks are as important as these in the industrial life of the world, nor are any so widely known. Massive units of some carbonate formations form many of the spectacular features of some of the most rugged mountains in the world, such as the Dolomite Alps, the Canadian Rockies, some rugged peaks of the eastern flanks of the American Rockies in Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico and in many ranges in Utah, Nevada and Arizona. These continue down the Sierra Oriental in Mexico and on around the world to the flanks of the Himalayas, in the South China Highlands, and separating Asia and Europe in the flanks of the Ural Mountains where they form many reexhumed hills called Shikhany.50a Less rugged and more nearly flat-lying carbonate rocks underlie most of the area of our great Middle Western plain, the southern part of England and the northern part of Africa. These are the common rock formations known from boyhood to a large part of the world&apos;s population. The use of lime, produced by the burning of limestone, goes back to antiquity, and mortar was used widely in Biblical times. The cement made by mixing volcanic ash with lime was a basic material of construction when Pompeii was built. Our Eastern states are dotted with abandoned limestone quarries, and the ruins of old lime kilns which were operated in Colonial days. Many limestones and dolomites are found in flat-lying strata of a thickness convenient for quarrying as a building stone, so that houses and other structures have been built with them for centuries. In order to replace the muddy and rutted dirt roads with surfaces that could stand the hard usage of his wagons and carts, man learned to crush stone and put a layer of it on his old trails. Such roads built by the Romans have been in use over much of

Jan 1, 1960

By Jack White

W. I. Garms-—The authors state that when they added 11 tons of balls to the 45 pct volume ball load, the power needle did not budge. The question arises as to whether any increase in capacity accompanied the 11-ton addition. It is hardly conceivable that all of the balls making up the l l-ton addition were sterile. However, as the work done in the ball mill is not by kilo-watthours per se or balls per se but by kilowatthour-balls, it is possible that the kilowatthourballs in the mill before the ll-ton addition had a different amperage, voltage or robustage than those in the mill after the addition and that the overall outcome was that equal work was done before and after the addition. The authors can keep the efficiency that they got with the 45 pct volume 1-in. ball charge and get additional capacity by putting more kilowatthourballs to work in the form of the addition of 11 tons of 2-in. balls to the present ball charge, and subsequent makeup additions by weight of 20 pct 2-in. balls and 80 pct 1-in. balls. J. F. Myers (authors&apos; reply)-—Mr. Garms points his finger at the 11 tons of "sterile" balls added to the Tri-cone mill. A fact so interesting to us that we felt it should be reported. Clearly, ball slippage at the existing mill speed prevented any further transfer of power from the shell to the ball mass. We agree that the kilowatthourballs would increase, were we charging rough 2-in. balls as suggested by Mr. Garms. The assumption is, of course, that we would get a corresponding increase in work done. Our reported data (CIME meeting, Vancouver, 1946) shows a gain of work accomplished of 7.6 pct as we decreased the ball size from 2 in. to 1% in. and a further gain of work accomplished of 2.1 pct when we went from 1 % in. to 1 in. The small ball results reported by H. R. Banks at Chapman Camp are also very convincing. In the case of 2-in. balls they would take the conventional ball path and start cascading. They would thus destroy the classifying pool over the "foot" of the

Jan 1, 1951

By Jack White

W. I. Garms-—The authors state that when they added 11 tons of balls to the 45 pct volume ball load, the power needle did not budge. The question arises as to whether any increase in capacity accompanied the 11-ton addition. It is hardly conceivable that all of the balls making up the l l-ton addition were sterile. However, as the work done in the ball mill is not by kilo-watthours per se or balls per se but by kilowatthour-balls, it is possible that the kilowatthourballs in the mill before the ll-ton addition had a different amperage, voltage or robustage than those in the mill after the addition and that the overall outcome was that equal work was done before and after the addition. The authors can keep the efficiency that they got with the 45 pct volume 1-in. ball charge and get additional capacity by putting more kilowatthourballs to work in the form of the addition of 11 tons of 2-in. balls to the present ball charge, and subsequent makeup additions by weight of 20 pct 2-in. balls and 80 pct 1-in. balls. J. F. Myers (authors&apos; reply)-—Mr. Garms points his finger at the 11 tons of "sterile" balls added to the Tri-cone mill. A fact so interesting to us that we felt it should be reported. Clearly, ball slippage at the existing mill speed prevented any further transfer of power from the shell to the ball mass. We agree that the kilowatthourballs would increase, were we charging rough 2-in. balls as suggested by Mr. Garms. The assumption is, of course, that we would get a corresponding increase in work done. Our reported data (CIME meeting, Vancouver, 1946) shows a gain of work accomplished of 7.6 pct as we decreased the ball size from 2 in. to 1% in. and a further gain of work accomplished of 2.1 pct when we went from 1 % in. to 1 in. The small ball results reported by H. R. Banks at Chapman Camp are also very convincing. In the case of 2-in. balls they would take the conventional ball path and start cascading. They would thus destroy the classifying pool over the "foot" of the

Jan 1, 1951

By L. H. Simons, H. H. Spain

I NT RODUCTION Theory indicates that linear water-floods should exhibit scaling and stabilization properties in both oil-wet and water-wet porous media&apos;. Experimental verification of these proper-ties in oil-wet media was obtained some time ago&apos;, and more recently, Perkins&apos;, employing a high permeability unconsoli dated sand and a low oil-to-water viscosity ratio, has obtained flooding data in a water-wet medium which follow the pattern of scaling and stabilization. Also, Root and Calhoun3 have found similar trends in the displacement of gas by liquids from unconsolidated sands. In general, however, the experimen-tal evidence appears still somewhat conflicting since scaling and stabilization of water floods in water-wet media has not been observed in most of the studies to date&apos;.".&apos;. The purpose of this paper is to provide a more comprehensive picture of waterflood behavior in water-wet media and to corroborate the validity of the scaling and stabiliza-tion concepts. The need for differentiating between the intrinsic nature of water-oil displacements inside a porous medium and perturbating secondary end effects is discussed, pertinent experimental procedures are outlined and the results of flooding tests conducted at low and at high oil-to-water viscosity ratios on con- solidated, water-wet Alundum cores are analyzed. END EFFECTS IN WATER-WET MEDIA Outlet End Effects The peculiar feature of the outlet end effect in water-wet cores is that it not only results in an excessive wetting phase saturation at the outflow face,&apos;.&apos; but that it also retards the moment of water breakthrough: i.e., causes an undue delay in the appearance of water in the produced effluent. Conditions existing in a water-wet core when water first arrives at the outflow face are schematically shown in Fig. 1. At this flooding stage the saturation distribution, Fig. la, has not yet been distorted by the outlet end effect. A water-invaded pore at the outlet core face, opening into the oil-filled void space between the end of the core and the end plate of the flooding cell, is illustrated in Fig. lb. The curvature of the water-oil interface is concave toward the outlet, and the pressure on the water side of the interface is lower than on the oil side by an amount equal to a certain capillary pressure (Fig. lc). Before the water (of this particular pore) can be produced from the core, it is apparent that the pressure in the water phase must exceed that in the oil outside the core. Accordingly. when water first reaches the outlet face, it will not leave the core but will accumulate inside, and only oil will be produced. Eventually, as the water injection is continued. sufficient pressure is built up in the water to reverse the curvature of the interfaces in the outlet pores, and only then will water be produced from the core. This stage, illustrated in Fig. 2. corresponds to the conventional "water breakthrough" observed in flooding experiments. For purposes of discussion, it is convenient to distinguish between the flooding stage at which water first arrives at the outlet face of a core (Fig. 1) and the stage at which water is first produced from the core ( Fig. 2). The former will be referred to as "water arrival" and the latter water breakthrough. In oil-wet media

By W. A. Dunkley, W. W. Odell

The sulfur content of coal is perhaps more important in the manufacture of illuminating gas than in any other coal-using industry. Whether the gas is made by the distillation of coal in retorts or ovens or by steaming incandescent coal or coke in the water-gas process, a portion of the sulfur present in the fuel always passes into the crude gas. Practically all the sulfur that remains in the finished gas is transformed into sulfur dioxide (SO2) when the gas is burned. Sulfur dioxide is a pungent suffocating gas and, if present in the air in any perceptible amount, is deleterious to health and comfort and damaging to house furnishings. SO universally is this recognized that laws regulating the amount of sulfur that may be permitted to remain in the gas are very generally in force. The capacity of a plant to purify gas frequently limits the selection of coal for gas making. This condition may arise from different causes. Some plants were originally designed to handle a certain grade of low-sulfur gas coal, and very little leeway was allowed for growth or for the use of inferior coals. Other plants, when built, had ample capacity to purify gas from relatively higher sulfur coals, but their output has grown so rapidly that their purifying capacity is now limited and only the low-sulfur coals can be handled. There is a great quantity of coal in the United States that would satisfy the requirements of the gas manufacturer, were it not for the high sulfur content. The coals containing less than 1 per cent. sulfur are becoming scarcer year by year and, in time, the gas industry will probably be compelled to use coals that are now considered out of the question. Sulfur Compounds in CRude Gas Sulfur exists in unpurified illuminating gas in a variety of compounds; chief of these are hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and carbon disulfide (CS2). In crude coal gas H2S is usually present to the extent of 0.5 to 2.0 per cent., by volume, equivalent to about 300 to 1200 gr. per 100 cu. ft. of gas. In carbureted water gas, the amount of sulfur compounds depends not only on the sulfur content of the coal or coke used, but also upon cite

Jan 1, 1920

By S. J. Leach

The possible solution of some of the problems raised in H. L. Hartman&apos;s article "Determining Ventilation Requirements for Continuous Miners," which appeared in the March 1962 issue of MINING ENGINEERING, is offered by recent investigative work done at the Safety in Mines Research Establishment, Ministry of Power, Sheffield, England. Highlights of this research are outlined here. Accumulations and layers of methane form in a mine roadway because it is difficult to mix methane with air beneath it by turbulent diffusion. Such mixing involves work contrary to buoyancy forces. In specifying requirements for good ventilation it is not, therefore, sufficient to state that the airflow must be turbulent in the absence of methane. Fundamental work at SMRE on the behavior of methane roof layers has led to the formulation of rules for controlling methane roof layers which specify the ventilation velocity needed to ensure adequate mixing in terms of the rate of flow of methane into the layer (V = cu ft per min) and the airway width (D = ft). A "layering number" for methane and air has been defined by [U37/V/D] where U is the mean ventilation velocity in ft/min in the upper half of the airway. In a horizontal airway there is no mixing by turbulent diffusion for values of the layering number less than about 2, resulting in extensive roof layers. But with a layering number of 5, the layer is "brought under control"-i.e., a further increase in the layering number will shorten the length of the layer only slightly, and a small decrease in the layering number will cause only a small increase in the length of the layer. In a sloping roadway with uphill ventilation, higher values of the layering number are needed to achieve this "controlled" condition; the values range from about 5 at small slopes to about 8 at a slope of 1: 10. In downhill ventilation it is possible for layers to "back" against the ventilation, i.e., to flow uphill. The critical condition for preventing backing can also be expressed in terms of the layering number. Backing will be prevented if layering numbers are about 3 for small slopes and about 4.5 for large slopes; these values for downhill ventilation also give good control of the layer.

Jan 10, 1962

By J. R. Wylie, L. C. Huntley

Drilling for oil in the eastern producing states was fairly active during the first part of 1931, although less so than in 1930. With low prices development declined during the year, until the low prices of the summer resulted in an almost complete shut-down of drilling. This coincided with the action of the Conservation Board of the Pennsylvania Crude Oil Producers Assn, in limiting pipe line runs to 50 per cent of the 1930 normal for the Bradford district and upper country, and to 70 per cent for the balance of the region. Not only was new drilling halted but in many cases oil-producing properties were shut in. In November crude prices were partly restored, and all oil offered was being taken except in the Bradford district which was restricted to 80 per cent of the 1930 normal. During the latter part of the year drilling was being resumed on a moderate scale, and new production indicated a resumption of the proration order. The interest in gas development which has been under way for several years, maintained its supremacy over the search for oil in 1931. New reserves of importance were developed during the year in the Western Kentucky Coal Basin, in the Eastern Kentucky shale gas territory, in Stark County, Ohio, as well as the Oriskany sand development in northern Pennsylvania and central New York. A gas line was completed to the Eastern Seaboard serving Washington and Baltimore, and other lines were under construction designed to serve portions of the territory not hitherto supplied with natural gas. The low price of fuel oil at seaboard is understood to be the deterrent factor against further extension of natural gas lines to these markets at present. The development of these new reserves, as well as those developed by intensive drilling in old areas, resulted in the building up of large potential gas production and a lowering of rates paid to the producer. This, coupled with the country-wide tendency to lower the consumer rates of all public utilities, resulted in a general threat to reopen rate cases before various state commissions. Oil Development The past year was marked only by the almost complete shut-down of new development, reaching its low point during the summer, with its

Jan 1, 1932