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By R. G. Lazzell

THE British are worried about the postwar possibilities of their coal mining industry. Indeed, there are causes for this worry, with the aver- age 1943 cost of production at about $5.40 per long ton, compared to $3.20 in 1938. Average production per man day has dropped from 1.12 in 1938 to 1.03 long tons in 1943. As a comparison, production per man day in the United States is approximately 5 long tons. The average day wage in the British mines is now a little aver $4; in 1938 the average day wage was about $2.25. Great Britain produced 227 million long tons in 1938 from their deep mines, and in 1943 production was 194.5 million, with an additional 4.5 million from strip mines. To meet present wartime needs, output is being supplemented by the production of strip- mined coal, an industry that did not exist prior to the war. Strip mining is now producing at the rate of 15 million long tons per year.

Jan 1, 1944

By AIME AIME

FOR constructive research in copper and brass and other non-ferrous metals and their alloys, and his contributions to the establishment of the present accepted high standards of quality William H. Bassett, technical superintendent and metallurgist of the American Brass Co., has been awarded the James Douglas Gold Medal for 1925. Mr. Bassett was born in New Bedford, Mass., on March 7, 1868, and was graduated in chemistry at the - Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1891. In the same year he went to Pope's Island Manufacturing Co., at New Bedford, as chemist where he remained until 1895, where he became a teacher in chemistry at the Swain Free School, which position he retained until 1900. He then became chemist for the New Jersey Zinc Co., at Newark N. J., and in 1902 went to the Coe Brass branch at Torrington, Conn., as Chemist. In 1903 he became chief chemist and metallurgist and since 1912 has been technical superintendent and metallurgist of the American Brass Co., with head- quarters at Waterbury, Conn.

Jan 1, 1924

By T. S. Fuller

MUCH study has been given by engineers in general, and investigators in particular, to the concentration of stress which occurs under load in structural members having irregularities in section such as notches, shoulders, key ways, tool marks, etc. The result of the effect of both fresh and salt water corrosion upon the endurance properties of various metals and alloys has been ably determined and the general laws underlying these phenomena carefully pointed out by McAdam. From a practical standpoint, 'however, it is after all the endurance value of corroded, non-symmetrical sections which is most pertinent. In the experiments about to be described rotating cantilever specimens of nickel steel of the 3.5 per cent nickel ' 0.35 per cent carbon type have been used. These were machined from bars l 1/8. in. dia. and 9% in. long and were heat-treated by quenching in oil from 825 deg. C. followed by reheating to 650' C. and oil quenching. The tensile and impact properties of this material so heat- treated follow:

Jan 1, 1931

By Charles F. Park

CORRECTLY speaking, iron ore is limited to any naturally occurring rock from which iron may be extracted at a profit, but in practice the term is frequently used to indicate borderline material or inaccessible material that may in the future become commercially profitable. This distinction is much more than quibbling about terminology. When a layman hears that there are about 45 billion tons of iron ore in the world he naturally thinks that sounds like quite a bit of rock, and what is the use of worrying about the depletion of so plentiful a material. He does not realize, nor does he stop to analyze. why iron ore in Europe and Japan may carry no more than 30 per cent iron while tremendous quantities of 50-60 per cent iron ore in Brazil are not exploited. To people in the iron industry the answer is obvious: the Brazilian material is inaccessible, and there is no suitable fuel near-by. In places closer to home, submarginal ore in considerable quantity contains undesired impurities, such as sulphur, phosphorus, or titanium.

Jan 1, 1947

By SAM A. LEWISOHN

IT is popular today to dramatize in a journalistic spirit, some particular factor among the causes of unemployment. Naturally the time chosen for such emphasis is usually when the factor in question is temporarily a particularly active one. A few months ago, in the unemployment then current, we saw largely the results of a healthy acceleration in changes in processes, greater efficiency, a more intensified use of labor-saving devices, perhaps also a change in products. So we have been hearing a great deal about the influence of mechanization on unemployment, the so-called technological unemployment. Many talk as if this kind of unemployment were a wholly new phenomenon, for- getting that it is a constant process in a growing industrialism, though it sometimes becomes more pronounced. At other times one would think that seasonal unemployment is the only type of unemployment, and then again the fashion changes and we hear .about nothing except cyclical unemployment. Every few years there seems to be a different fashion in labelling the germ supposed to be the cause of unemployment.

Jan 1, 1929

By Nigel B. Pearson

INTRODUCTION Chingola Division of Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines Limited is situated in the Copper- belt of Zambia, approximately 30 kilometres south of the border with Zaire. It is the country's leading producer of copper and its principal foreign exchange earner, and has been, in its time, the largest single copper producer in the British Commonwealth and the second largest in the world. There are two 'primary' copper sources at the Division, namely Underground producing approximately 100 000 tonnes of contained copper annually, and the Open Pits, producing approximately 200 000 tonnes annually. Following the commissioning of the Tailings Leach Plant in 1974, treating final tailings, metallurgical recovery increased from approximately 70% to in excess of 80%. Extensive deposits of cobalt are present and following the rise in the market price in 1979 and 1980, plans were made to extract this separately. Cobalt production commenced in 1980 from Underground and will increase substantially when the Open Pit cobalt reserves become available in approximately 2 years time. This paper covers the development of the production method of the principal Underground Orebody, known as the Lower Orebody, and the control systems applied to it. HISTORY The Lower Orebody, formerly known as the Nchanga West Orebody, was discovered by extensive Diamond Drilling operations in the late 1920's. Development of the Shaft complex and the orebody commenced and continued until 1931 when flooding from development on the 480 foot horizon necessitated closure. The mine remained closed until 1937 and production commenced from the Lower Orebody in 1939. Various expansion schemes of the Metallurgical Plants and the Underground workings were completed over the years with the result that Underground production increased steadily to in excess of 150 000 tonnes copper annually in the 1960's. In recent years production has levelled out at slightly less than 100 000 tonnes annually. This decrease is as a result of producing from a lower grade reserve, available within a more limited production front, and the application of production constraints in the light of experience gained. GEOLOGY Within the Nchanga Mining Licence Area of Chingola Division, there are a total of 14 known copper orebodies in the basal part of a thick succession of sediments of Pre-Cambrian age. The sediments rest on a Basement Complex of granites, gneisses and schists. Three superimposed stratiform orebodies, known locally as the Lower, Intermediate and Upper Orebodies, occur over a vertical interval of approximately 150m. Current annual copper production is approximately 300 000 tonnes. The ore originates from four different mining operations, one Underground mine and three Open Pits. Approximately 9 million tonnes of ore grading between 3 and 3.5% copper are milled annually. The two largest sources of ore, the Under- ground mine and the Nchanga Open Pit are on the gently dipping south limb of the Nchanga Syncline (Figure 1). In the Nchanga Open Pit the major source of ore is the Upper Orebody with lesser tonnages from the Intermediate and Lower Orebodies. In the Underground mine the Lower Orebody is the only orebody being mined, underground mining of the Upper Orebody being suspended for economic reasons in 1978. The typical stratigraphic column is illust- rated in the legend on Figure 1. The footwall rocks comprise either Nchanga Red Granite or the Arkose formation, both of which are hard competent rocks, offering generally good mining conditions for footwall development. Copper mineralisation of the Lower Orebody extends from the upper part of the Arkose to the top of the Lower Banded Shales. Overlying the Arkose is the Transition zone (0-18111 in thickness). The Transition zone comprise a lower member, Transitional Arkose, consisting of incoherent kaolinised sandstone, and an upper member, Transitional Lower Banded Shales consisting of normally soft bleached and silicified shale. The soft nature of the Transitional rocks is

Jan 1, 1981

By Morris Cohen, Robert C. Ruhl

Fe-Ni-B alloys were inresligated by X-ray diffraclion after splat quenching. Although this rapid cooling did not produce a measurable supersaturation of dissol1ed boron in either binary Fe-B or Ni-B alloys, a marked increase in dissolved boron was achieved by the splal quenching of lernary Fe-Ni-B alloys. Boron additions up to 2.0 wl pcl to Fe-13Ni and Fe-24Ni alloys cause an increase in retained austenite from 0 to 59 pet and to 92 pet, respectively. The martensitic phase in the Fe-13Ni-9 at. pct B alloy is .found to conlain about 0.6 at. pet interstitial boron, as evidenced by the tetragonality of this phase, and about 3.6 at. pct substilutional boron, us deduced from the lattice paratrieler decrease, the balance of the boron being precipitated as (Fe,Ni)aR. The austenitic Fe-Ni-B plznses also contain both interstitial and substitutional boron. Iron-Boron System. The phase diagram and related information about the solid solutions and intermediate phases in the Fe-B system are given by ansen,' Elliott.2 and Pearson.1 The equilibrium solid solubility of boron in both ferrite and austenite is quite small: the maximum solid solubility of 0.02 wt pct B (0.11 at. pct B) occurs in iron at the eutectic temperature of 1150°C. while the maximum solubility in a iron is less than 0.01 wt pct.l There is disagreement in the literature as to whether these solid solutions are substitutional or interstitial. Based on the measured activation energy of boron diffusion in iron, it appears likely that boron moves interstitially in austenite. 4 However, this observation does not rule out the possibility that some of the dissolved boron may also occupy substitutional sites in this phase. Investigations of internal friction of boron in iron have suggested that boron is interstitial there.' Shevelev, 5 on the other hand, reports a decrease in the ferrite lattice parameter with dissolved boron content, thus indicating a substitutional solution. Unfortunately. Shevelev's methods and analysis are unclear. Goldhoff and spretnak6 have measured the lattice parameters of pure iron and an Fe-0.005 wt pct B (0.027 at. pct) alloy at both room temperature (ferrite) and from 920° to 1200°C (austenite). They reporte: a lattice contraction in the ferrite of 0.0003 ± 0.0002 due to boron, thus indicating a predominately substitutional solution. Appreciable (0.0010 to 0.0060) lattice contractions were found in boron-containing austenites, but these effects were much larger than could be accounted for by the substitutional solution of all the boron present. Nickel-Boron System. Elliott 2 gives a summary of thephase diagram and recent work on this system. The solubility of boron in nickel reaches a maximum of 0.03 wt pct at the eutectic temperature of 1080°C. Iron-Nickel System. ansen' presents the equilibrium diagram for this system and also discusses the metastable austenitic and martensitic phases along with the a=? transformations. The lattice parameters of Fe-Ni ferrites have been recently redetermined by Abrahamson and Lopata.7 Their data, Fig. 1, show an unusual change in slope at about 1.7 at. pct Ni. Very few measurements of the lattice parameters of Fe-Ni martensites are available in the literature. The values of Roberts and Owen8 are considerably higher than those measured in the course of the present work: they find that a, is constant at 2.874? from 8 to 30 at. pct Ni. Both the slope change in the ferrite parameters and the occurrence of a maximum plateau in the marten-sitic lattice parameters vs composition denote the

Jan 1, 1970

By H. L. Lovell, L. H. E. Weyher

Cyclones have been used successfully in the mineral industries to solve solid-liquid as well as solid-solid separation problems in the processing of fine particles. Substantial information is available about the operation of cyclones as thickeners, classifiers, and concentrators using a dense medium. However, very little is known about the operation of the cyclone as a fine coal concentrator not using dense medium. This application of the cyclone, namely to wash fine coal in water, requires that classification phenomena be minimized in order to arrive at an effective separation of the high density ash and sulfur-bearing mineral particles from the low density coal particles over a wide particle size range. The authors have investigated the role of feed pressure, orifice diameters, and vortex-finder length in the cyclone washing of fine coal (--1/4 in.) in water. The results of this investigation show that cyclone washing of fine coal in water is an effective unit operation particularly capable of reducing the inorganic pyritic sulfur content. The combination of hydrocyclones with complimentary equipment such as Sieve bends, shaking tables, and flotation units appears to be especially promising and may ultimately yield fine coal processing systems that could approximate the high recovery efficiencies of today's coarse coal cleaning circuits. In the future, fine coal beneficiation can be expected to receive even greater research emphasis as a result of increasing sulfur restrictions on all major coal markets. In a previous paper, work, conducted at the Pennsylvania State University, on the hydrocyclone washing of fine coal was discussed.' The initial evaluation based on that wo-rk demonstrated the feasibility of hydrocyclones as fine-coal cleaning devices, and in that previous paper selected test data were presented that showed in principle how product yield and assay respond to variations of the major cyclone operating variables. The present paper reports in greater detail on the findings and presents a comprehensive evaluation of the data as follows: (1) Hydrocyclone throughput rates were related to feed pressure and other variables by regression equations. These equations are compared with other capacity-vs.-pressure drop expressions taken from the literature on classification cyclones. (2) The flow ratio was found to be the most important variable for the separation of the solids. Control of this ratio through various cyclone operating parameters is discussed. (3) The data on the product yield as well as the ash and sulfur assays from the tests were evaluated by means of correlation and multiple regression analyses. Because size-classification phenomena cannot be suppressed completely in hydrocyclone washers, product yield and assay data are regressed against cyclone operating variables separately for different size classes. These equations then reveal how the interactions of the cyclone operating variables vary in terms of the separation for different size classes. (4) Density partitions from additional tests were analyzed by supplementing product-size analyses with sink-float analyses of the separated product size classes. The evaluation of these data show how classification phenomena affect separation by density. The results demonstrate in particular the feasibility of the hydrocyclone washer for removing pyritic sulfur from fine coal. In addition to these specific findings, the investigation points up the value, in general, of using hydrocyclone washers in combination with unit operations such as screening, table concentration, and flotation. In order to make optimum use of the hydrocyclone washers and work out the most effective combination of unit operations, it is important to have careful flowsheet analyses corresponding to the given feed and product requirements. Analyses of this kind are now possible by means of computer simulation of flowsheets and other operation research tools. INTRODUCTION Before proceeding with the detailed treatment and evaluation of our results, it will be useful to review the fundamental aspects of cyclone separators and also restate the experimental procedures and data handling employed in these studies. Review of Cyclone Fundamentals: AS shown in Fig. 1, the basic components of cyclones commonly used

Jan 1, 1970

By J. B. Cohen

EARLY investigators1-4 reported that additions of beryllium to silver caused embrittlement. The in-termetallic phases which are now known to exist5,' were not known at the time. Solidification appeared to occur by a simple eutectic reation.4,7 (The primary beryllium-rich phase appeared globular, when the liquidus temperature was near the melting point of pure beryllium, and angular when the liquidus was much lower; in discussion of Sloman's work,4 it was suggested that this difference was due to an intermetallic compound which was not revealed by the polishing technique.) In the investigation reported here, it was found that if the compounds now known to exist were avoided, certain beryllium-silver alloys containing large amounts of the primary beryllium phase possessed sufficient ductility to be cold formed. Alloys containing 14 and 20 at. pct Ag were prepared from vacuum-cast beryllium containing 1.0 to 1.2 pct impurities and silver, 99.99+ pct pure. The elements were melted together by induction in beryllia or alumina crucibles under argon at less than 1 atm pressure. The cooling rate was adjusted by regulating the temperature of the melt and by reducing the power to zero without stopping the water flow in the induction coils, which were in contact with the crucible. Ingots were about 0.75 in. in diam with a grain size of 0.12 to 0.25 in. Microscopic investigation of transverse or longitudinal sections of an ingot cast from a temperature well above its melting point showed that, in general, the compounds did not form, presumably because of rapid cooling; the alloys consisted of beryllium-rich particles in a silver-rich matrix as shown in Fig. 1. A eutectic structure was not observed, probably .due to the low beryllium concentration of the eutectic composition and eutectic divorcement. Within a given grain, the small globules of the primary phase were all oriented in the same direction, as indicated by examination under polarized light; the orientation varied from grain to grain. This suggested that the globules were branches of the same dendrites. If cooling was too slow, a third constituent was observed in the microstructure; because it formed around the primary beryllium-rich globules it was Fig. 1—Ag-Be alloy, 18.6 at. pct Ag, as-cast. Bright field illumination. Etched with an aqueous solution of NH,OH and H2O2. X500. Reduced approximately 21 pct for reproduction. probably the 6 compound. A thin ring around an ingot often contained this constituent. When this compound was present in large quantities, or the silver segregated so that large regions occurred with the beryllium-rich globules in contact, sections from the ingot were brittle. When the compound was initially absent, it was possible to carry out reductions in thickness of 50 pct by cold rolling with only limited edge cracking; failure did not occur until reductions of 80 pct. A typical cross section after cold rolling is shown in Fig. 2. After simple bend tests, microcracks were found; these apparently were difficult to propagate in the two-phase structure, as the specimens continued to behave in a ductile manner after the cracks appeared. Similar cracks would probably be closed during rolling. It is apparent in Fig. 2 however, that the primary beryllium particles undergo extensive plastic deformation. Hardness values of the alloys indicated that some work-hardening occurred during cold working. Fig. 2—Ag-Be alloy, 18.6 at. pct Ag, reduced 83 pct in thickness by cold rolling. Bright field illumination. Etched with an aqueous solution of NH,OH and H2O2. X500. Reduced approximately 21 pct for reproduction.

Jan 1, 1961

By J. H. Hamilton, J. R. Lewis, J. H. Dismant, W. M. Fassell

RECENTLY this laboratory undertook the task of preparing some low carbon metallic cobalt by the carbon reduction of precipitated cobalt oxides. The oxides came in two lots and had the compositions given in Table I. Industrially, cobalt rondels' are made by the carbon reduction of cobalt oxide in small reverberatory furnaces at temperatures near but not above 1050 °C. This is a slow and tedious small batch process but does give cobalt metal which is low in carbon (1 pct C). Inasmuch as these cobalt oxides were relatively low in copper and iron it was decided to reduce them with petroleum carbon in a small three-phase electric arc furnace of about 3 to 5 Ib of metal capacity. It was hoped such a procedure would save considerable time and perhaps also indicate an improved commercially feasible process. The furnace was preheated by using small pieces of carbon electrodes to maintain the arc until a temperature of 1500°C was reached. The broken pieces of electrodes were then removed and 500 g of the cobalt oxides and 60 to 100 g of petroleum coke added. At the end of the reduction reaction, a high lime flux was added to the furnace to facilitate the removal of sulphur. Due to the fineness of the cobalt oxide powder used and also to the presence of chlorides there was considerable dust lost in charging the furnace. This was overcome by preparing briquettes composed of the cobalt oxides, charcoal, and a little bentonite to serve as a binder. The results obtained are summarized in Table 11, which shows that the cobalt metal produced in the arc furnace was high in carbon varying from 2.5 to 3.5 pct. This, of course, is much too high. For certain uses, such as in the preparation of permanent magnets, the carbon content of cobalt must be low. It was necessary therefore to find an effective method of reducing the carbon content of the cobalt that had been prepared in the arc furnace. Van Arkel3 recommends the use of Co2O3 as a means of removing carbon from cobalt. Experiments by the authors indicate that carbon is removed with difficulty by this method. Other methods used, including lancing of the molten high carbon cobalt with a jet of oxygen, proved to be ineffective. The method finally used makes use of the fact that cobalt metal is decarburized by carbon dioxide at the temperature of the molten metal. Two methods were used: 1—carbon dioxide was bubbled up through the molten cobalt, and 2— molten cobalt was maintained in a carbon dioxide atmosphere. In the first method the gas was introduced below the surface of the molten metal by means of a quartz tube. A high frequency induction furnace was used to keep the cobalt molten in both of these experiments. This kept the metal somewhat agitated and no doubt was an important factor in hastening the decarburization 'process by the second method. Both methods gave satisfactory results as shown in Table 111. An interesting observation in connection with this 'work was that a small sample of carburized cobalt metal could be decarburized by heating it with an acetylene torch adjusted to give an oxidizing flame. This may have been due to the presence of carbon dioxide in the products of combustion. Samples of molten high carbon steel were decarburized by the same method and it is suggested that nickel and perhaps manganese can be decarburized in a similar manner. Additional work, including rate studies and other theoretical aspects of this problem, is in progress in this laboratory.

Jan 1, 1953

By E. J. Ripling, S. I. Liu

IT has been shown in a number of recent publications that much information on the mechanical behavior of metals can be gleaned by first deforming test specimens under one set of conditions, and then evaluating the effect of this deformation by means of a subsequent tensile test. A straining procedure of this type has been applied to study the flow behaviors of a number of metals.1, 2 In these studies the prestraining and testing were both tensile strains, while the straining temperature was varied between the prestraining and testing steps. These data indicate that there is a more or less general flow behavior exhibited by all metals which are pre-stretched at one temperature and then tested in tension at a second temperature. Prestraining a metal at a high temperature produces a lower yield strength during the subsequent low temperature strain than would the same total strain at the lower temperature. On reversing the order of the strains, low temperature prestraining produces a higher yield strength during the subsequent high temperature straining than would a single high temperature strain of the same magnitude. Unlike the flow behaviors, the fracturing characteristics of metals when prestrained under one set of conditions and tested under a second set of conditions is quite material dependent. The fracture behavior of a number of steels2" as well as of a commercially pure zinc,4 have been investigated by these two-step tests and was found to depend upon the position of the transition temperature with respect to the prestraining and testing conditions. Since these fracturing phenomena are complicated by the appearance of the transition temperature, it has been difficult to reliably define the basic effect of a two-step straining procedure in fracturing. Metals crystallizing in the face-centered cubic system do not exhibit transition temperature effects so that the mechanical characteristics obtained on these materials could serve as a base for two-step straining behaviors. Consequently groups of specimens of the aluminum alloy 24s-T4 were prestrained various amounts at room temperature in either tension or compression after which these strained specimens were further strained to failure, or tested in tension, at either room or some lower temperature. Other groups of 24S-T4 specimens were prestretched at various low temperatures after which these were tested in tension at room temperature. These straining techniques then made it possible to compare the behaviors of aluminum with the behaviors previously presented for steels. Material and Procedure The commercial aluminum alloy 24S-T4 in the form of 3/4 in. rods was used in this investigation. The material was subjected to the following treatments before machining: 1—resolution treating at 920" & 10°F for 45 min, 2—quenching in water at room temperature, and 3—aging at room temperature for four days. The re-heat treated material was then machined to either of the specimen shapes shown in Fig. 1. Fig. la shows the threaded-end specimen used for prestraining in compression. Fig. 1b shows the specimen used for both prestrain in tension and final testing. The material subjected to precompression in the form of the specimen shown in Fig. la was re-machined to the specimen shape in Fig. 1b for final testing. Prestraining in tension and final testing were done without any intermediate machining. All straining was performed on a 10,000 1b Riehle tensile testing machine. Tensile strains were conducted in a specially designed concentric fixture which produced an eccentricity of less than 0.001 in." The change in diameter at the minimum section of

Jan 1, 1954

By Howard E. McKinney

A high-pressure wellhead lubricator has been developed to facilitate telemetering electrical measurements from subsurface reservoirs to the surface with the well under normal flowing conditions. The field unit in use at the present time employs a 5/16-in diameter, single-conductor armored cable and is to be used in wells with surface pressures up to 5,000 psi. It has a pressure sealing element that maintains a continuous and absolute seal around the cable as it enters or leaves the tubing at speeds up to 175 ft per minute. A cable injecting device is used which obviates sinker bars or weight sections on the instrument. INTRODUCTION The development of instruments for securing physical measurements in pressure wells has been confined in the past to those instrument which would operate on a wire line and record the necessary measurements in the downhole instrument itself, or those which would operate on an electric cable in a well with the surface pressure killed by the use of weighted fluids or by the use of tubing plugs. In one case the accuracy of the measurements is questionable, and in the other the range of application is very limited. Considerable work has been done by other interests to provide effective means to accomplish the necessary telemetering. The U. S. Bureau of Mines developed a wellhead lubricator prior to 1947 which permitted a 5/16-in diameter single-conductor cable to be lowered into a well with a surface pressure of approximately 500 psi. This unit was used successfully in a number of tests in Oklahoma. A company which tests wells has recently offered on a service basis a wellhead lubricator with a 3/16-in diameter cable that reportedly operates up to 2,500 psi surface pressures. Each of the above operates on a staging principle to effect a seal. In both of these units some leakage of well fluid occurs when the cable is moved. SPECIFICATIONS FOR DESIGN In order to provide the maximum flexibility in its use, the following parameters were established for the design of our high-pressure wellhead lubricator: L An absolute well fluid seal up to 5,000 psi surface pressures. 2. Means for raising and lowering the instrument at speeds of at least 100 ft per minute. 3. Provision for the instrument to enter and leave the well without disturbing the well flow or the reservoir conditions. 4. A cable large enough to provide suitable electrical characteristics and suitable mechanical properties. 5. A method of operation that will not damage the well in any way. The present high-pressure wellhead lubricator field unit fulfills the above requirements. DESCRIPTION OF THE UNIT AND ITS OPERATION The cable selected for this use is the standard Amergraph 1H2 as manufactured by the American Steel and Wire Co. This particular cable is normally used by the Halliburton Oil Well Cementing Co. in their conventional well logging operations. Although the cable presents a noncircular cross-section (Fig. l), its diameter is very consistent; lor example, maximum diameter is 0.325 in., minimum diameter 0.314 in. This [actor permits the use of the sealing element, as later described. Early in the development of the high-pressure wellhead lubricator it was apparent that we could not effect a direct gas seal around a moving 1H2 cable. This becomes evident when an examination of the cable cross-section is made. The voids between the strands of the outer armor provide natural channels lor the flow and escape in large quantities of a low-viscosity fluid such as gas. However, it is relatively simple to

Jan 1, 1952

By C. R. King

Most of the acid volcanic glasses such as obsidian, perlite, pitchstone, pumice, and pumicite (volcanic ash) are susceptible to some expansion if suddenly subjected to a suitably high temperature in a properly designed furnace, and subsequently suddenly cooled. Expansion results from the action of chemically combined or dissolved water expanding as a vapor within the softened heated rock particles. This expansion forms countless minute bubbles within the pasty mass of the natural glass particles. If the particles are cooled before these bubbles can escape, the resulting products are cellular, more or less spherulitized glass froths or hollow glass spheres of many types. Chemically, they are essentially aluminum silicates containing about 70 to 75 pct silica, 10 to 16 pct alumina, and 2 to 7 pct sodium plus potassium oxides. They are relatively resistant to attack by acids or alkalies, are resistant to heat up to over 1000°F, and are completely inert to insect or fungus attack. These products are of great potential value in many branches of industry as insulation materials, aggregates, fillers, abrasives, and additives. By proper selection of the perlite rock type and control of processing conditions, expanded perlite of a bulk density varying from about 2 to 20 Ib per cu ft can be • made. The physical properties of the particles comprising a product of a given bulk density also may be varied within wide limits of porosity, water absorption, and crushing strength. In general, crushing strength of expanded perlite increases in direct relation to increase in bulk density, but insulating value varies in inverse ratio to bulk density. The selection of a particular grade of expanded perlite for a given use as an aggregate is therefore always a compromise between insulating value, lightness, and friability. If porosity and water absorption are factors affecting the use of the material, factors other than bulk density are important. Some types of perlite rock tend to decrepitate excessively during expansion, resulting in a highly porous or even hygroscopic product of high friability relative to the bulk density of material produced. In general, treatment of any good perlite rock below the temperature necessary for maximum expansion, or insufficient time in the hot zone of the furnace for effective heat penetration to the core of the rock particles will result in some decrepitation and high porosity in the expanded product. On the other hand, exposure of the material to the temperature required for optimum expansion for a period of time slightly longer than that necessary for proper heat absorption will result in a slightly heavier product of extremely low porosity, i. e., a glazed surface. It is beyond the scope of this paper to describe in detail the rock types and processing methods used to produce the many types of expanded perlite in present use, or that may be produced to fill the present and future needs of industry. A few phases of the economics involved in processing and selling products made from this abundant and cheap mineral raw material, plentifully distributed in large and relatively accessible deposits in most western states and in other areas within economic shipping distance of large centers of consumption, will be treated with particular reference to the Los Angeles area. Relation of Balk Density to Use and Cost of Production Perlite differs from most other lightweight aggregates and fillers in that the raw material (perlite rock) may be quarried much as rock arid sand is mined, and then shipped into consuming areas as crude rock in open gondola cars at correspondingly low freight rates and handling costs. At processing plants in or near large consuming areas the rock is converted into relatively fragile, very bulky products which in most cases are used within a short haul of the processing plant or enter into a manufactured product made at the site of the perlite processing plant.

Jan 1, 1950

By B. Trafton, H. L. Hartman

An earlier paper1 introduced a rapid solution for mine ventilation network problems, employing the digital computer. In this paper, refinements and additions to the computer program which expand its scope of application and a solution to a ventilation network having a coal-mine configuration are presented. The revised program-written in FORTRAN for the IBM 7074 computer in Penn State's Computation Center-is applicable to any mine ventilation network employing natural splitting and having its fan located externally. It accomplishes the following: 1) Distributes an assumed total quantity of air flow among all airways of the network, performing iterations until an acceptable level of error is attained and the flow in each airway is known. 2) Computes the pressure drop (head loss) in all airways and the overall network and mine head losses. 3) Determines the operating point for the mine and a given fan, adjusting all air flows and head losses to the actual values. The basis of analysis used is the Hardy Cross method of successive approximation for solution of any fluid network, explained in detail in the earlier article. In brief, corrections to assumed air flows are computed for all the loops of a network; following distribution to the airways of each loop, the process is repeated until acceptable accuracy is attained. When a hand or desk-calculator solution is used, there is advantage to close approximation of the actual flows in the original assumption of air-flow distribution in the network. Since publication of the previous paper, in which assumption of initial quantities was also necessary in the computer solution, the program has been modified to make the first distribution itself, assigning the total quantity to one specified path in a split and then proceeding to correct the flows. The number of iterations required for a high-accuracy solution is little affected, at least in networks of few loops, 10 to 15 being sufficient to reduce the error to 1 pct or less. The principal limitation of the original program was that it contained no provision for handling a fan. Further, it did not determine the overall head loss in the network and was not designed for multiple parallel openings, such as occur in coal mines. The revised program was written to overcome these disadvantages and also to print out the adjusted flows for all airways, corrected for the system operating point. At the present time, the program can handle only an external fan. The procedure employed in solving a ventilation network is now as follows: 1) Input data consisting of airway characteristics and loop designation along with assumed direction of flow, for each branch of the network and any trunk airways, are fed into the computer. 2) Employing the resistance relationship, where R is resistance, K is friction factor, P is perimeter, L is length, A is area, and n is number of airways (where multiple intakes and returns are employed); values are computed for all airways. 3) An arbitrary, continuous route of flow through the circuit—from beginning to end—is selected and the path identified by airway numbers and read in. 4) Based on a total assumed quantity of flow Q (usually 100,000 cfm.) the computer employs the procedure described in the previous article in distributing quantities of flow among all the airways until a satisfactory level of accuracy has been attained (in the current program, the machine is turned off when the cumulative corrective error in cfm, is reduced to five times the number of airways). 5) Airway head losses H are calculated by the relation H = R Q2 and cumulated along the original designated flow route to find the overall head loss for the network. Trunk airways are then included to obtain the mine head.

Jan 1, 1964

By William L. Langdon

PRELIMINARY COMMENTS Recent years have been difficult for the mining industry, as reported in the most recently published Minerals Yearbook (Volume III), the estimated value of world crude mineral production has been generally declining since an historical peak in 1979 (16).* The costs of mineral extraction have, however, been rising rapidly. Individual project costs are, in general, exceeding the growth rate of mining companies, while operating and technical risks continue to increase (16). Risks resulting from currency flotation and political actions in the host country are also on the increase. Labor difficulties (such as those experienced by Phelps Dodge) and the Reagan Administration's recent rejection of a proposal by the International Trade Commission for higher tariffs and/or quotas on copper imports have also contributed to the mining industry's difficulties. The net result of these factors has been financial difficulties for mining companies with respect to paying for their current financial obligations as well as trouble finding new financing. It may be that one of the main factors in determining the future of the mining industry will be centered upon capital structure, i.e. how its assets are financed. Historical Perspective on Capital Structure In The Mining Industry As discussed by Isreal Borenstein in (4) and Thomas Navin in (7), mining firms typically have used a financial model based upon high financial leverage, i.e. large amounts of debt relative to equity. This has been especially true for American firms developing orebodies discovered overseas. Problems sometimes occurred for those who were forced to commit themselves to completion guarantees in order to obtain bank loans. Mines under these circumstances must be brought into operation regardless of market conditions. Politicians in overseas countries also may use the high profits required by these high risk ventures to argue for nationalization of mines. Coupled with the frequent use of high leverage, mining companies traditionally have paid out a higher percentage of earnings in the form of dividends than manufacturing firms. This is significant, in that such funds paid out in dividends are not available for other uses. Hence, a greater reliance upon debt and/or additional stock issues than would ordinarily be the case for manufacturing firms. Thomas Navin has stated in (7), that the theory behind the high dividend payout was that, "most mining investors thought of themselves as investing in a wasting asset, one that would gradually deplete over time until it ultimately became valueless." Investors, therefore, required a receipt, in the form of dividends, of a percentage of current earnings and a return on original capital. This view of reality, apparently, has not changed in some quarters, even though modern mine management ordinarily replaces depleted mines with new ones. It may be that this practice of high dividend payout coupled with relatively high financial leverage should be reexamined. Current capital structure theory could prove interesting and useful for those concerned with current conditions. Capital structure patterns and related practices in this industry are not, in many cases, congruent with those thought by some to be theoretically optimal. Prelude to Capital Structure Discussion With a few notable exceptions (such as the Guggenheims and Anaconda's chief operating,. officer in 1971) mining companies' chief executives and boards of directors have not been persons with financial backgrounds. This, one could conjecture, might have accounted for the relatively nonsophisticated nature of capital structures of mining companies. In order to appreciate the possibilities with respect to alternative influence on a firm's performance, one must be acquainted with the basics of financial theory. This paper is an attempt to familiarize the reader with (1) capital structure in general, (2) the usual components of this structure, (3) the general theory behind the use of financial leverage, and

Jan 1, 1985

By J. D. Sudbury, J. E. Landers, D. A. Shock

The external corrosion of casing is one of the most important problems facing the present day production man. A 1953 NACE report' estimated the annual cost of casing corrosion at $2,200,000 in 22 fields studied. The fields represented only 10 per cent of the wells in the United States. It was significant that 77 per cent of the failures reported were due to external corrosion. A variety of means for combatting the casing corrosion problem have been discussed in papers such as the NACE survey' mentioned previously. No attempt to revicw these will be made in this paper. Thc scope of this paper has been limited to a discussion of the following major items: (I) an instrument for studying external electrolytic corrosion; (2) use of this instrument to determine the quantity of protective current required to prevent corrosion of casing; and (3) problem of accelerated external corrosion of the oil string at the base of the surface string. ELECTROCHEMICAL MECHANISM OF CORROSION It IS gcncrally belleved that one major cause of external corrosion is the existence of electrolytic cells operating between various formation waters. A theoretical discussion of the role of earth potentials in casing corrosion has been presented by L. de Witte and F. J. Radd.2 A brief picture of the electrolytic corrosion action between two differcnt formations (A and B) is presented in Fig. I. This picture is a review to many but is given to insure clarity. In the anode area, oxidation takes place as iron ions go into solution in formation A as a product of corrosion. In the cathode area. reduction takes place and hydrogen atoms are formed at the boundary between the pipe and formation B. The flow of electrons. as indicated. is into the pipe at the anode or corroding area and out of the pipe into the formation at the cathode. In order to conform with regulations of this journal, the flow of a conventional current (I! is also indicated in this sketch. All subsequent references will be to this so-called conventional current flow and will be indicated by the symbol (I). As this action takes place the layer of hydrogen developed on the cathode offers a resistance to the flow of current in the cell. It is said (hat the cathode has been polarized. This polarizing film can be rcmoved by addition of a so-called dcpolarizing agent which reacts with and removes this hydrogen film. Such an agent must be present in ordcr for this corrosion reaction to go at a rate sufficient to cause a severe corrosion problem. The two common depolarizing agents are: (I) oxy-sen. which readily reacts with hydro gen to form water, and (2) certain bacteria which use atomic hydrogen as part of their life process. It is not difficult to explain the presence of these agents. Oxygen may be present in some very shallow formations. Sulfate reducing bacteria are found to exist in nearly any ground where mud pits might be dug. THE CASING POTENTIAl-PROFILE Instrumentation A sketch of the equipment* uscd in determining casing potential profiles is shown in Fig. 2. The tool is run in the hole using a hoist truck with a three-conductor cable. This tool must be run with tubing and rods out of the hole and should be run with the flow line disconnected. By proper choice of electrode size it can be run in any size casing. The electrodes must be run in an open hole or a hole filled with oil. Measurements cannot be made while immersed in water. The tungsten carbide-tipped knives serve as the electrical robes and arc spaced 25 ft apart. The potential difference along a 25-ft section of casing is measured with a potentinmeter to an accuracy of about 5 mv. Current flowing in the pipe can then

Jan 1, 1956

By J. W. Downey, R. A. Morris, M. V. Nevitt

An experimental survey has determined the occurrence of Ti2 Ni-type phases in binary and ternary alloys of Ti, Zr, or Hf with first, second, or third long-period transition metals and also in ternary systems in which 0 is the third component. The existence of eleven previously unreported isomorphs is cited and some approximate phase boundaries are given. Lattice parameters are reported for the new phases. The periodic table relationships involved in the occurrence of the phase are discussed. A previous paper' reported the occurrence of a group of Ti2Ni-type phases (structure-type E93) containing Zr in combination with Rh, Ir, and Pt, and Hf in combination with Rh, Pd, Ir, and Pt, and cited evidence to show that all of the Zr phases and the Hf-Pd phase are not binary phases but occur only when 0 is present. More recently one of the present authors found that in the ternary systems of Ti and 0 with Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni the occurrence of the Ti2Ni-type phase could be correlated qualitatively with valency electron concentration, and that the role of 0 appeared to be that of an electron acceptor.' This paper describes the results of a broader investigation of the occurrence of Ti2Ni-type phases in binary and ternary systems containing Ti, Zr, or Hf. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Alloys were prepared by arc melting. The purity of the metals Zr, Rh, Hf, Ir, Pd, and Pt was given in the previous paper.' The additional materials used for this work were metals with a minimum purity of 99.9 pct and reagent grade ZrO2, TiO2, Cr2O3, and NiO. Chemical analysis of several alloys in each system indicated good agreement between intended compositions and cast-button compositions. For the heat treatment precautions were taken to avoid oxygen contamination. The specimens were wrapped in Mo foil and sealed in fused quartz tubes at a room temperature pressure of 1 x mm of Hg. These capsules were then annealed in a vacuum furnace at an external pressure of 5 X mm of Hg. Since the major constituent in most of the alloys studied was the brittle Ti2Ni-type phase, Debye-Scherrer patterns with sharp lines could be obtained with powder crushed from the annealed solid samples without being reannealed. Metallographic, X-ray diffraction, and density determination techniques previously described1, 2 were used. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Zr-Rh-O, Zr-Ir-Oand Zr-Pt-O Systems-Figs. 1 through 3 show the approximate boundaries of the Ti2Ni-type phase fields at the temperatures indicated in the ternary systems Zr-Rh-O, Zr-Ir-O and Zr-Pt-0. In each isothermal section the Ti2Ni-type phase field is labeled E and the unidentified binary phase found in the previous work' is labeled ?. The dotted lines, which are not phase boundaries, correspond to the composition (Zr2 B)1-xOx. In each system the Ti2Ni-type phase field is displaced to the high-Zr side of this composition line. However, the departures from Zr2B stoichiometry for the metal components are not as high as Zr3B, as was inferred from the previous work. Lattice parameters of the Ti2Ni-type phases in the alloys shown as triangular data points in Figs. 1 through 3 are given in Table IA. The probable compositions of the Ti2Ni-type phases have been estimated from the isothermal sections. Although there are a few exceptions that probably result from uncertainties in phase boundary location and from the effect of variation of oxygen content, the generalization can be

Jan 1, 1961

By A. D. Schwope, L. R. Jackson, K. F. Smith

Burghoff and Blank1 have pointed out that the creep properties of hard-drawn coppers are closely associated with their individual softening characteristics and have further shown that the creep resistance of various types of copper is improved, under certain circumstances, by cold stretching. In the design of certain types of electrical machinery, it is important to have the creep resistance as high as possible; furthermore, short-time creep strength is important since in many cases stresses are large only during warming-up and cooling-down periods. In this paper, data are presented showing the effect of cold work on the short time creep strengths of various types of commercial copper under several conditions. It is shown that trends from short-time creep tests are evident at longer times. Materials Used in the Investigation The coppers used in this investigation were commercial grade and of two basic types, oxygen free high conductivity (OFHC) and tough pitch. Additions of silver in amounts of 15 and 25 oz per ton were added to each of the two coppers. The analyses of these six coppers are given in Table 1. Originally, they started as wire bars 4 X 4 X 54 in. A. square rod was made by hot rolling the wire bars to 9/16-in. rod in 8 passes. This rod was then cold drawn to 0.445-in.-diam rod and annealed for 3 1/2 hr at 1000°F. It was then cold drawn to 0.325-in. rod and again annealed at 1000°F for 3 1/2 hr. Hard square rods were then made by cold rolling to 0.257 X 0.257-in. rod. Soft wire was made from the hard- drawn material by annealing at 650°F for 3 hr. The final rolling was performed using a set of 9-in. grooved rolls revolving at 30 rpm, which produced square wires. Reductions of approximately 5, 20, 30, and 40 pct were obtained using several passes in the same direction for the large reductions. The 5 pct reduction by drawing was accomplished using a steel die having 2 parallel bearing surfaces. The die angle was 7 1/2 degrees and the wires were lubricated with a paste of ceresin wax dissolved in carbon tetrachloride. The speed of drawing was 13 fpm. Since work was done on only two sides of the wire simultaneously, it was necessary to rotate it 90 degrees each pass to insure uniform deformation. The room-temperature tensile properties of the various tempers are given in Table 2. The grain size of the an- nealed 0.257-in. wires was uniform and averaged about 0.035-0.045 mm. Experimental Procedures for Short-time Creep Tests Standard creep-test frames (Fig 1) were used for the testing. Special fixtures were designed to apply axial compressive and tensile loads to the copper wires. The compression specimens were 1 in. long and the ends were ground flat and parallel. The creep in compression was indicated by the movement of reference marks s-ratched on intersliding platinum strips attached to the moving heads of the fixture. The movement was measured with an optical micrometer fitted with a filar eyepiece on which the smallest division was 0.00005 in. The tensile creep specirriens were 4 in. long which provided ample gripping surface for the jaw-type grips. The platinum strips were attached to a one-inch gauge length of the wire and the creep measured as previously described. The single-specimen furnaces were connected to individual power and control sources. The controlling equipment consisted of Foxboro controllers

Jan 1, 1950

By R. F. Krueger, L. C. Vogel, P. W. Fischer

Previous studies have shown that the permeabilities of sandstone cores are markedly reduced following exposure to drilling fluid and subsequent clean-up with oil at high-pressure gradients. Laboratory experiments reported in this paper indicate that permeability damage from drilling mud or water can be substantially avoided through use of an initial low-pressure gradient followed by gradually increasing gradients during clean-up by reverse oil flow. On the other hand, attempts to improve the permeability of damaged Berea and oil formation cores with high-rate oil backflush (simulated well stimulation) and low-rate clean-up gave erratic results. Essentfully complete permeability repair was achieved in most of the fresh water-damaged cores from Miocene and Pliocene oil-producing formations; only minor improvement was noted generally in tests with both water-and mud-damaged Berea sandstone. Field well stimulation treatments using high-rate back-flush resulted in long-term productivity improvement when production was brought in at gradually increasing production rates and then restricted to a steady value less than the maximum possible rate. Wellbore plugging at high production rates correlated with increasing solids content in the produced oil. Observations and results from these tests agree with current concepts that formation damage in water-sensitive rocks results from movement and bridging of formation fines, rather than from clay swelling alone. INTRODUCTION Many laboratory studies1-g have shown that the permeabilities of sandstone cores are often markedly reduced following exposure to fresh water or water-base drilling mud filtrate. However, work with cores in the restored state has demonstrated that, although permeabilities to water may be very low for sandstones containing hy-dratable clays, flow of oil can often restore a substantial portion of the effective permeabilities to oi1.Neverthe- less, water invasion into water-sensitive sandstone cores results in varying degrees of permanent reduction in permeability to oil.24' Based on field data, Wade's statistical study" of well completion effectiveness also indicated a correlation between productivity damage and water invasion during completion. Similar damage can result from fluid invasion during workover. Nowak and Krueger' and Bertness4 observed in their early work (1951-53) that formation damage in water-sensitive sandstones was associated not only with swelling of expandable clays but also with movement of dispersed particles. Subsequent work by Monaghan et al." (1959), Atwood'' (19641, Mungan" (1965) and Gray and Rex'" (1965) has led to general acceptance of the hypothesis that permeability damage in water-sensitive formations is caused by migration of finely dispersed minerals and bridging in "brush heap" arrangements at pore constructions. In laboratory studies, Monaghan et al.' found the use of chemicals to be of only minor value for repairing formation damage. Atwood? however, was successful in substantially repairing damage in a number of low-permeability cores using an n-hexanol flush. In the field, except for treatments with acids, the use of chemical washes to reduce wellbore damage has had limited and sporadic success and generally is unpredictable. A statistical analysis of stimulation treatments in silt-blocked wells has shown that physical manipulation of wash materials is more important than chemical composition." The recent work reported on formation damage in water-sensitive sands brings to mind the results of some unpublished exploratory work done in 1954 in connection with drilling fluid studies.' This laboratory work and subsequent field stimulation treatments indicated a beneficial effect of controlled pressure drawdown and the associated production rate on formation clean-up. This paper reports the results of this work and more recent supplemental experiments on the clean-up of water-sensitive sandstones damaged by water or filtrate invasion. PERMEABILITY RECOVERY AFTER DAMAGE BY DRILLING MUD APPARATUS AND TEST SAMPLES A drilling mud circulating system was used to expose cores to simulated wellbore conditions. The mud flow system is the same as that described by Krueger and Voge17 except that no provision was made for scraping

By C. Wagner

When an alloy solidifies and the composition of the solid differs from the composition of the liquid, atoms of the alloying elements rejected at the solid-liquid interface have to diffuse toward the bulk liquid. Diffusion may be supported by convection. Theoretical calculations have been made for a liquid without convection, for a liquid involving natural convection, and for solidification of a liquid alloy at the surface of a rotating disk as an example of forced convection. WHEN an alloy solidifies, the equilibrium composition of the originating solid phase differs in general from the composition of the liquid phase. Thus, segregation may take place, i.e., the composition of the solid phase formed at different times differs from the bulk composition. The degree of segregation depends on several factors such as the partition ratio of the alloying elements between the liquid and the solid phase, the rate of solidification, and convection. To clarify, a theoretical analysis has been worked out. The following presuppositions are made: 1—Calculations are confined to the solidification of binary alloys in which the concentration of component A (solvent) is much greater than that of component B (solute). 2—The equilibrium concentration of the alloying element B is assumed to be lower in the solid phase than in the coexisting liquid phase. 3—At the solid-liquid interface, partition equilibrium is assumed. 4—The dependence of the partition ratio of the solute between the liquid and the solid phase on concentration and temperature is disregarded since only small concentrations of the solute are considered. 5—The concentration of the alloying element B in the solid phase is supposed to be lower than the saturation concentration for the formation of a second solid phase. 6—diffusion in the solid phase is disregarded, since diffusion rates in the solid state are comparatively low. When the partition ratio of the solute between the liquid and the solid phase is greater than unity, a part of the solute is rejected at the solid-liquid inter- face and has to diffuse toward the bulk liquid. Thus there is necessarily a concentration difference in the liquid between the solid-liquid interface and the bulk liquid as has been pointed out by Hayes and Chipman,' Rutter and Chalmers,' Tiller, Jackson, Rutter, and Chalmers, and others (see Fig. 1). In view of the concentration gradient in the liquid phase, the ratio of the concentration of the solute in the solid phase to that in the bulk liquid differs from the equilibrium ratio, although at the solid-liquid interface, partition equilibrium is assumed. Under certain limiting conditions, the solid may even have virtually the composition of the bulk liquid as is shown below. General Equations Let u be the linear crystallization velocity in cm per sec, D the diffusion coefficient of component B in the liquid phase in cm2 sec-', c',, and c", the concentrations of component B in the liquid and the solid phase, respectively, in mol per cm", and s the distance from the solid-liquid interface toward the bulk liquid at a given time t. The partition ratio is assumed to be equal to a partition constant K. Thus. The difference in the specific volume between the liquid and the solid phase may be disregarded. In view of the discontinuity of the concentration of the solute at the interface according to Eq. 1, u(c', — c",), , , = tic', (S = 0)(1 — K) gram-atoms B per unit area per unit time are rejected at the interface and have to diffuse toward the bulk liquid. From Fick's first law it follows that uc',,(s = 0) (1 ~K) == - D(dc',,/?>s). _-„. [2] The concentration profile in the liquid near the interface depends on the interplay of diffusion and convection as is discussed in the following sections. A schematic concentration profile is shown in Fig. 1. The "effective thickness of the diffusion boundary

Jan 1, 1955