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C.A. MITKE, *Bisbee, Ariz. (written-discussion-? ).--The advantages of the incline-slicing system have' been ably pointed out by Mr. Scott in his paper in the November, 1917, Bulletin, and also by Mr. P. B. Scotland in the Engineering & Mining Journal, Apr. 7, 1917. From the standpoint of efficiency and economy this method is far superior to the top-slice system as generally practised. However, as regards ventilation, and the danger of mine fires, it is just as necessary to use a mechanical ventilating system in mines worked by this method as it is in those worked by the horizontal top-slice system. Mechanical ventilation not only improves working conditions in top-slice stopes but, if properly designed for the particular mine in question, permits an immediate attack to he made in the event of a mine fire with a greater degree of safety to the men. In the course of time, incline top-slicing will probably take the place of the horizontal top-slicing system just as the incline cut-and-fill has superseded the horizontal cut-and-fill stoping method. While incline top-slicing has been tried in several districts on a very limited scale with inconclusive results, the Coronado is the-only large mine at which it has yet been thoroughly tested, and there it proved to be a complete success. As Mr. Scott's figures show, the tonnage has been more than doubled, with a simultaneous reduction in costs. As has been the history with all other innovations in mining, considerable hesitation will probably be shown in introducing this method in other mines. For example, when the incline cut-and-fill system was put forward as a substitute for the horizontal cut-and-fill stoping method many mining men of good repute were doubtful of its success and post-poned its introduction as long as possible, giving as their reason certain geologic conditions which would make the incline cut-and-fill impracticable. At the present time, most of the mining companies in the South-west, who in the past had used the horizontal cut-and-fill system, have already changed over, or are in the process of changing, and have proved that in the majority of cases horizontal cut-and-fill stopes can be successfully operated under the incline cut-and-fill system. Large horizontal cut-and-fill stopes can now be found in only a few exceptional cases, and

Jan 3, 1918

By G. P. Conard, E. H. Rennhack

The generation of fibers composed of individual TiZn15 compound particles and their influence on crystallographic orientation in chill-cast, hot-rolled hypoentectic Zn-Ti alloys were explored. Metallo-graphic examination and X-ray diffraction data show that such fibers form a planar network after 50 pet reduction which eventually tends to suppress twinning at some critical reduction level (-90 pct) where the grain size approaches the interfiber, spacing. This leads to the development of a duplex-type projerred orientation through slip rotation consisting of an al-most ideal (0001)(2iiOj texture and a (0001) (1010) rotated component. Correlations between basal-plane rotation and secondary- creep rc11e sugg-est, however that prejerred orientation does not contribute in a major way to the creep resistance of these alloys. EFFORTS to improve the creep resistance of zinc through alloying without incurring a loss in fabricating properties have achieved only minor success with the exception of the very effective addition of titanium. Anderson, Boyle, and Ramsey,l for example, demonstrated that increasing the amount of thiselement from 0.05 to 0.23 wt pct produced a progressive, 45-fold increase in the inverse creep rate of hot-rolled

Jan 1, 1967

By R. W. Borio, T. S. Spicer

Inflammability and crossing point apparatus were used to study the influence of increasing amounts oi such inerts as ash, fly-ash, pyrite, limestone and Portland cement with several pulverized bituminous coals. The results indicate that it requires large proportions of inerts to substantially suppress the ease of ignition. The ignition phase of the combustion of solid fuels has been under study periodically since 1900. With the advent of pulverized coal firing some 60 years ago, a technique now dominating the coal utilization field, the ignitibility characteristics have become increasingly important. Much of the early work was directed toward the prevention of coal dust explosions and improved mine safety rather than combustion. Many factors affecting ignitibility have been studied and numerous methods devised in an effort to measure the ignition temperature and these have been reviewed by other authors. A recent survey was made by Finney and Spicerl in 1959, so a discussion of previous work will be omitted. Despite these efforts, the initial stage of combustion, termed ignitibility, is still a little understood phenomenon. In fact, no ASTM method has been adopted for the calibration of this illusive property. However, a D-5 Subcommittee XVI on Ignitibility of Coal and Coke of ASTM (now inactive) defined ignitibility:' "The ignitibility of a fuel is that char-

Jan 1, 1963

By Charles M. Brown, Russell Franks, W. O. Binder

Occasionally in the application of the austenitic chromium-nickel steels to corrosive conditions, failures have occurred by cracking without serious general over-all attack of the metal. As pointed out by Foyt and Scheil(1),2 and by Scheil, et al.(2) as well as by Hodge and Miller(3), the stress-corrosion failures that have occurred have been limited in number, and have taken place only when the steels were exposed to certain corrodents. These investigators have stated that while stress- corrosion cracking can be intergranular in nature and originate at the grain boundaries of the austenitic chromium-nickel steels, it can also take place in trans- granular fashion. They have shown that the cracking may be either initiated at the grain boundaries and may propagate along grain boundaries for some distance and then suddenly extend across grains, or it may begin in a transgranular fashion and suddenly proceed along grain boundaries until the cracking stops. Their data further show that when austenitic stainless steel is subject to intergranular attack, stress will concentrate and cause cracking in service. These investigators have studied the effect of the metals titanium and columbium which are added to the steels to impart immunity to intergranular attack, and molybdenum which is added to improve resistance to general corrosion.

Jan 1, 1945

By J. C. Mertz, C. H. Mathewson

Accurate knowledge of the solid solubilities of the elements that dissolve in the important base metals is needed for guidance in the preparation and heat-treatment of the alloys derived from these components. While there is still difference of opinion concerning the merits of the X-ray and microscopic methods of determining such solubilities, it is certainly true that the recent extensive use of X-ray diffraction to review the existing constitutional data has revealed many glaring inaccuracies and has brought about a much improved knowledge of phase-boundary locations, which will inevitably come to include all of the important alloy systems. When the work is done with all necessary precautions it appears that in the majority of cases where the solubilities extend beyond a few tenths of a per cent the X-ray back-reflection technique is capable of furnishing the best of information in this field. For the most prolonged and thorough studies it is obviously advisable to combine the results of several methods, in particular, to obtain an agreement between X-ray and microscopic data. This paper reviews the work previously done on the solubilities of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony and bismuth in copper and, in consideration of the uncertainties thus made apparent, presents new X-ray data obtained with the first three members of this group. Copper-phosphorus System Heyn and Baurl found that in slowly cooled alloys phosphorus forms a solid solution with copper up to about 0.175 per cent. Huntington

Jan 1, 1937

By Arthur S. Huey

AS the end of the collegiate year approaches, the problem of student employment again becomes acute. This subject divides itself into two phases: (1) employment prior to graduation and (2) employment following graduation. "Experience is the best teacher," according to the old adage, and the student needs all that he can get. He is afforded every opportunity to reap from his books the theories and principles of scientific and engineering practice, and occasionally he is privileged to make field trips to observe the practical side of the subject. But it is not enough for one to know the theory and to observe its application; it is also desirable for the student to get the feel of the tools during his training Such opportunities can only be afforded the student if the major companies cooperate with the universities in giving the student part-time and vacation work.

Jan 1, 1932

By Archibald Macmartin

THE Königin-Marien-Hütte is the only works in Germany where the Bessemer process is carried on by the direct method. The Besserner plant there, is arranged after the true English type, and the only resemblance to the Swedish mode of procedure is the dispensing with the use of spiegeleisen at the end of the "blow." In a new department of the establishment, started within three years, each of the converters is turned by means of a very neat and compact reversible engine, the steel shaft of which is an endless screw, which turns against the oblique cogs of a large wheel attached to the shaft of the vessel. An advantage which this arrangement possesses over the ordinary English hydraulic arrangement, is the fact that the endless screw suffices to turn the vessel, in either direction, any number of complete revolutions; while even the latest American improvements, so clearly explained to us by Mr. Holley at the opening session of this meeting, do not secure even one complete revolution without changing the angle of inclination of the hydraulic piston. In the endless screw arrangement, there being no limit to the working of the motor in either direction (no return-stroke necessary), the vessel can always, unless outside reasons demand the contrary, be turned around to any desired position by the shortest cut, whether backwards or forwards. Also, the diameter of the cog-wheel attached to the vessel can be made sufficiently great to avoid all unevenness of motion. In the old department the motive-power still continues to be hydraulic. If reports be true, the new department produces spiegelized steel, for the manufacture of all-steel rails. But the old department is still,' as from the beginning, devoted to the production by the direct method of steel for steel-headed rails. The most remarkable fact connected with this direct steel is the ease with which it welds to the iron' of the rail-packets, although no borax or other fluxing agent is used to facilitate the welding. It is very rarely that an exception occurs, and an ingot or a charge is discarded by the rail-mill. The mixture of pig-iron used for the production of this steel is melted in cupolas of very interesting construction (not to be de

Jan 1, 1874

By Casimir Constable

DURING the years 1875 to 1879 I had charge of the Rockwood furnaces and mines, situated forty miles from the nearest railway communication at that time, and one hundred miles north of Chap tanooga, Tenn., by the Tennessee River. The small furnace with old-fashioned stoves, then in blast, was built under great difficulties by General Wilder. The early conditions were somewhat as follows: The ore was fossil ore of the Clinton group ; very fine and generally wet, without other admixture. The coke had a large amount of ash, and the fur" nace appeared to be badly scaffolded at times. On many days only a few tons of iron could be obtained. The founder generally id creased the revolutions of the engine when signs of chilling appeared,. The cinder at such times was black, very scoriatious, often closely resembling mill cinder. When the pressure was increased (the joints being the old-fashioned rust joints), leaks in the blast-pipe occurred It was noted that when the blast was stopped, and the leak bolt imperfectly remedied, the furnace improved a little. This set me thinking on the right track; and I took the responsibility of be coming my own founder for a time. A scaffolded condition had existed, and the situation was a trying one. Strange to say the negroes proved excellent furnace-men. Conceiving the hearth of the furnace to be similar to the grate area of a steam-boiler, capable of disposing of but so much fuel per hour, and requiring only a corresponding amount of air, it follows that an excess of air will burn the fuel not yet arrived at the hearth!, and raise the melting-point far above the tuyeres. This might pro duce scaffolding or at any rate choke the boshes, and leave less fuel to be consumed in the hearth. Thus for the time being less ail;. would be needed, as the continued burning of fuel in and above the boshes, would only aggravate the trouble. This condition of affairs accounted for the black cinder; the heat above having melted ore not yet perfectly reduced. This view decided me to reduce the revolutions of the engine; thefurnace finally became gray, as might have been expected. Any attempt to increase the speed produced black cinder and hard iron ;

Jan 1, 1883

The primary purpose of the Institute is to advance the technologic and engineering arts embraced by it through interchange of knowledge. This can best be clone by the presentation and discussion of technical papers by its members. Short practical papers are especially welcome. An author should always satisfy himself that his material is of a quality that will he a credit to him and to the Institute. The preparation of a good paper frequently leads to a reorientation of the author's thoughts, and publication contributes much to the professional standing of the author. Members are urged to submit papers presenting the results of their work. Attention to the following suggestions will greatly further the prompt and efficient handling of manuscripts. 1. SUBJECTS: The subject must be within the field of the Institute. Original work, the results of field, plant, laboratory or theoretical investigations, new views on old but important problems and occasionally reviews of timely and important subjects of wide interest to our members may constitute the basis of a paper. The mere fact that the work is original does not necessarily justify publication: it must be of a substantial nature, of value to a reasonable number of our members and worthy of permanent record. It is seldom desirable to subdivide the results of a single research for publication in a variety of journals. Previous publication is usually a bar to acceptance. If any part of your paper has been published elsewhere and you regard repetition as absolutely necessary please so state in your covering letter. 2. CONSTRUCTION: Papers should be clearly and concisely written in good English. Care in this regard ensures wider reading and the saving in space permits the Institute to publish more papers. It is the experience of the Papers and Publications Committee that most papers can he improved by condensation. "Readers" who are asked to recommend acceptance or nonacceptance put particular emphasis on the length of the paper and the elimination of unnecessary or any extraneous material. The terminology and units employed should be those current in the particular field. An examination of Institute publications will afford useful guidance in such matters. Webster's New International Dictionary, 1935 edition, is the Institute's authority for spelling and style. Various abbreviations are used habitually; for instance, lb., pound; bbl., barrel or barrels; ft., foot or feet; hr., hour or hours; in., inch or inches; Fig. 1 but Figs. 2 and 3.

Jan 1, 1946

By Lewis A. Riley

I desire to submit, for the consideration and information of the members of the Institute, the following data, drawings, and tables, showing what I believe will be interesting information with regard to the diamond drill, and its uses in developing mineral lands. I would first say that the results given have been obtained during the past two years by means of two drilling machines belonging to the Lehigh Valley Coal Company, operating on their coal lands in the Mahanoy, Lehigh, and Wyoming regions. 1st. A tabulated statement, giving location of borings, date, progress, total cost, itemized cost per foot, etc. 2d. Section showing strata bored in Nos. 5 and 10 holes at Mt. Carmel, see Plate VI. 3d. Section showing strata bored in No. 19 hole at Hazleton, see Plate VI. 4th. Photograph and description of drill No. 2. From the first it will be seen that the total number of test-holes bored up to May 1st of this year is 24; 9 of these are in the Mahanoy region, 6 in the Lehigh region, and 10 in the Wyoming region, in all of which cores have been taken for the whole distance. The total distance bored is 9902 feet. The majority of the holes have been put down for the purpose of proving the lower veins of the coal series, and have had to encounter the harder rocks of the coal formation. Much of the distance has been through the lower conglomerates, going in some cases through the coarse egg conglomerate, the foundation of the coal deposit, and to the green sandstone and red shale which underlie it. These lower sandrocks and conglomerates are among the hardest known to geologists, and present a formidable resistance to the exploring drill. This fact must be taken into consideratiotl in comparisons of cost of drilling, and when considered will still further improve the very favorable results I am able to show in my statement of costs. In illustration, I will cite the work of one bit when boring in the upper or softer rocks of the Wyoming region, where 280 feet were obtained without resetting, while in the Lehigh and Mahanoy regions, in the lower and harder rocks, bits set with the same quality of diamonds would only bore from 3 to 20 feet before being worn out. In this connection it may

By Daniel M. Bass, Paul B. Crawford

Laboratory investigations have been made to study the effect of variations in fluid characteristics, gas saturation, water saturation, and water injection rate on oil recovery by water flooding. Three synthetic gas-saturated crude oils having bubble points of 860, 1,540 and 1,885 psi were used as reservoir fluids. Repeated tests were made in which a and pack, saturated with water and synthetic oil, was produced by solution gas drive followed by water flooding at various pressure levels. Oil recovery by solution gas drive and subsequent water injection is shown to vary with the pressure and rate at which the water flood is conducted. The pressure at which optimum flooding conditions exist is shown to be a functiotl of the physical characteristics of the reservoir fluid. For the systems studied, increases in oil recoveries of near 10 per cent were obtained by flooding at the most desirable conditions. Va- riations in initial water saturations gave results similar to those in the literature. INTRODUCTION Most of the waterflooding studies investigating means of improving present exploitation processes have been conducted at low pressures with little effort to simulate reservoir conditions. Holmgren and Morse' performed a waterflooding study at 300 to 500 psi wherein the gas saturation was created by injecting gas, letting dissolved gas evolve from the oil, and then flushing the core with "live" oil until the desired gas saturation was obtained. Their results show increasing oil recoveries with increasing gas saturations. Data presented by Guerrero' and Kennedy, et al, indicate that in some instances water flooding at approximately 500 psi below the original bubble point results in a lower residual oil saturation than is obtained when water flooding above the bubble point. In their work gas saturations were created by primary depletion. By correcting low pressure flooding data for fluid shrinkage, Dyes found that a maximum oil recovery may be obtained by flooding with initial gas saturations of from 7 to 12 per cent. The purpose of this work was to determine the variations in oil recovery caused by initiating a waterflooding program at various stages of primary depletion of a core. This is a part of a more comprehensive study of obtaining criteria for determining when to initiate a pressure maintenance program and what fluids to in-ject. EQUIPMENT A schematic diagram of the apparatus is shown in Fig. 1. Fluid transfer was accomplished with metering pumps. Pressure control was ob-

Jan 1, 1957

By Archiblad MacMartin

The Kunigin-Marien-Hiitte is the only works in Germany where the Bessemer process is carried on by the direct method. The Besserner plant there, is arranged after the true English type, and the only resemblance to the Swedish mode of 'procedure is the dispensing with the use of spiegeleisen at the end of the "blow." In a new department of the establishment, started within three years, each of the converters is turned by means of a very neat and compact reversible engine, the steel shaft of which is an endless screw, which turns against the oblique cogs of a large wheel attached to the shaft of the vessel. An advantage which this arrangement possesses over the ordinary English hydraulic arrangement, is the fact that the endless screw suffices to turn the vessel, in either direction, any number of complete revolutions; while even the latest American improvements, so clearly explained to us by Mr. Holley at the opening session of this meeting, do not secure even one complete revolution without changing the angle of inclination of the hydraulic piston. In the endless screw arrangement, there being no limit to the working of the motor in either direction (no return-stroke necessary), the vessel can always, unless outside reasons demand the contrary, be turned around to any desired position by the shortest cut, whether backwards or forwards. Also, the diameter of the cogwheel attached to the vessel can be made sufficiently great to avoid all unevenness of motion. In the old department the motive-power still continues to be hydraulic. If reports be true, the new department produces spiegelized steel, for the manufacture of all-steel rails. But the old department is still, as from the beginning, devoted to the production by the direct method of steel for steel-headed rails. The most remarkable fact connected with this direct steel is the ease with which it welds to the iron 'of the rail-packets, although no borax or other fluxing agent is used to facilitate the welding. It is very rarely that an exception occurs, and an ingot or a charge is discarded by the rail-mill. The mixture of pig-iron used for the production of this steel is melted in cupolas of very interesting construction (not to be de-

By Martin Epner, Eric Gregory

DURING the past decade, considerable work has been carried out on various cermet systems in an effort to produce materials suitable for high-temperature applications in gas turbines. Most of the materials have not, as yet, met the requirements of the engine manufacturers, primarily because of their lack of room-temperature ductility and thermal shock resistance. In the field of tool materials, however, although ductility is still of prime importance, much has been accomplished by improving design parameters and the quality of carbide materials with a view to using cermet compositions successfully. The systems described in this paper were designed primarily for application in this field, although their development was a natural outcome of work on similar compositions designed for high-temperature service. In steel-bonded titanium carbide, the steel binder imparts heat treatability to the system while the carbide provides abrasion and wear resistance. Combining the carbide and the steel matrix in carefully controlled proportions results in a composite material which, when the steel is hardened, has man of the properties of cemented tungsten carbide. In the annealed condition, this material can be readily machined by the conventional chip-removal techniques. Titanium carbide has certain distinct advantages over many of the other carbides when combined with a steel matrix. It is among the hardest of the carbides and is one of the most stable. Liquid iron wets titanium carbide, and this wetting assists in the formation of a dense cermet. Once the composite structure has been formed, the titanium carbide acts as a relatively inert phase during the heat treatment of the matrix. PREPARATION OF ALLOYS The steel-bonded titanium-carbide materials described in this paper were prepared by the liquid-phase sintering technique. The titanium carbide used had an average particle size of 6 to 7 p, a total carbon content of 19.4 pct and 0.35 pct free carbon. This was blended with the elemental metal powders by ball milling them together in a hexane medium. After drying, paraffin wax was added to the blend to provide green strength in the pressed briquettes, and compacting was performed at 15 tsi. Liquid-phase sintering was carried out in vacuum at temperatures which depended on the chemical composition of the system involved, but which were usually around 2640° F. The resultant materials had a density approaching 100 pct of theoretical. The

Jan 1, 1961

By Louis A. Riley

I DESIRE to submit, for the consideration and information of the members of the Institute, the following data, drawings, and tables, showing what I believe will be interesting information with regard to the diamond drill, and its uses in developing mineral lands. I would first say that the results given have been obtained during the past two years by means of two drilling machines belonging to the Lehigh Valley Coal Company, operating on their coal lands in the Mahanoy, Lehigh, and Wyoming regions. 1st. A tabulated statement, giving location of borings, date, progress, total cost, itemized cost per foot, etc. 2d. Section showing strata bored in Nos. 5 and 10 holes at Mt. Carmel, see Plate VI. 3d. Section showing strata bored in No. 19 hole at Hazleton, see Plate VI. 4th. Photograph and description of drill No. 2. From the first it will be seen that the total number of test-holes bored up to May 1st of this year is 24; 9 of these are in the Mahanoy region, 6 in the Lehigh region, and 10 in the Wyoming region, in all of which cores have been taken for the whole distance. The total distance bored is 9902 feet. The majority of the holes have been put down for the purpose of proving the lower veins of the coal series, and have had to encounter the harder rocks of the coal formation. Much of the distance has been through the lower conglomerates, going in some cases through the coarse egg conglomerate, the foundation of the coal deposit, and to the green sandstone and red shale which underlie it. These lower sandrocks and conglomer¬ates are among the hardest known to geologists, and present a formidable resistance to the exploring drill. This fact must be taken into consideration in comparisons of cost of drilling, and when considered will still further improve the very favorable results I am able to show in my statement of costs. In illustration, I will cite the work of one bit when boring in the upper or softer rocks of the Wyoming region, where 280 feet were obtained without resetting, while in the Lehigh and Mahanoy regions, in the lower and harder rocks, bits set with the same quality of diamonds would only bore from 3 to 20 feet before being worn out. In this connection it may

Jan 1, 1877

By Frank Firmstone

THE indicator cards shown herewith were taken by the writer in June, 1877, from the water-pressure blowing engine of the Longdale Iron Co., at Lucy Selina Furnace, Longdale, Virginia. A description of this engine with figures, and some indicator cards, was published by Washington Jones, Esq., Superintendent of the I. P. Morris Co.,* in the Journal of the Franklin Institute for May, 1877, to which those desiring a full account are referred, but for convenience the principal dimensions, etc., are given below. The machine consists of a pair of horizontal directacting blowing engines, connected at right angles to a common fly-wheel shaft. The blowing cylinders are 4 ft. diameter by 5 ft. stroke; the water cylinders were 18 in. diameter by 5 ft. stroke as built. Both water and blowing cylinders are double acting. The water valves are balanced piston valves, 18 in. diameter, moved directly by eccentrics on the fly-wheel- shaft. Great care was taken to have the areas of the ports and passages at least equal to the area of the working piston. The engine is set about 14 ft. above the tail-race, and the * The engine was built by the I. P. Morris Go., from drawings made by Messrs. Tuws and Hartman.

Jan 1, 1879

By H. M. St. John

THE melting department is the heart of the foundry. From it clean metal flows to the molding floor, in the right quantity, at the right time and at a sufficiently low cost-or, if not, the foundry fails to thrive. Since it is our purpose here to discuss present-day melting practice in the foundry, it may be well at the start to emphasize the wide differences in foundries and the conditions under which they must operate in order to reach the goal stated in the first paragraph. In every foundry, large or small, jobbing or captive, the same factors must be dealt with but they are of varying consequence and must be dealt with in varying ways in different foundries. Particularly in the nonferrous industry, there is so wide a variation in the composition of alloys used and in the character of castings made that no one type of furnace, nor any one method of operation, can be expected to produce the best results at all times. The present discussion will not attempt to include all nonferrous metals. It is intended to cover only the copper-base alloys in which copper is the dominant element, most of which are commonly known as brass or bronze. The discussion is further limited to the melting of these copper-base alloys for use in sand-casting foundries. Die-casting plants, the brass-rolling mills and certain other metal industries have melting problems peculiar to those industries, which will not be considered here. The following considerations are elemental in all foundries and are listed in what is believed to be the relative order of their present-day importance: I. The melting department must meet the foundry's requirement for dean, fluid metal, of specified composition and purity, at a temperature suitable for the work the foundry has in hand. This is the prime consideration in any foundry, at any time, anywhere. 2. Working conditions surrounding the melting furnaces and attending their use must be good. 3. The cost of molten metal at the mold must be as low as possible. 4. The operating characteristics of the furnaces must be sufficiently flexible, to meet normal variations in foundry requirements. 5. The operation and maintenance of the melting equipment must not require more skill and experience than is available in the particular foundry in question. METAL QUALITY It is not a function of the melting furnace to refine or improve the quality of the metal but simply to melt it without impairing its quality. Good practice requires, therefore, that care must be taken to supply the melting department with metal of inherently good quality, assured by specification or otherwise, having all the properties necessary to produce the castings desired. An alloy contains a number of primary elements, which must be present in definite proportions if the castings made from it are to have the desired properties. If the castings are made to a customer's specification, this will state the range within which these principal elements (for example, copper, tin, lead and zinc) are permitted to vary.

Jan 1, 1946

By C. V. Millikan

New developments in air-gas lift practices in the Mid-Continent area since our Pall meeting in Fort Worth have done much to increase the efficiency of installations, and thus bring within economic limit of air-gas lift many wells which could not have been flowed profitably before. After the gas-lift had so thoroughly demonstrated its value in the Seminole field, its use spread to other areas and many installations were made of which the economy could be questioned. In the Seminole area, when production began to decline it was necessary either to increase the efficiency of the air or gas-lift or to put the wells on the pump, and pumping was not a process of lifting oil to which any operator looked forward with confidence. These conditions have resulted in the development of many practices which increase the efficiency and permit wells to be flowed with air or gas which earlier could not have been flowed economically, and wells which have been flowing to continue to a lower rate of production. The practices which have come into more common usage in the Mid-Continent area recently are mostly revivals of and improvements on practices which have been known in air-lift work for several years. Many arc peculiar to the individual well on which they are used. Intermittent Flowing Some interesting results are being obtained in Seminole and other districts by intermittent injection of gas. Gas is introduced during per-iods iods of 3 to 5 min. at a rate considerably over that necessary to acquire the production at a steady rate of injection, and is then cut off for a period of 3 to 15 min. Two to five wells are run from the same group of conlpressors. The total volume of gas required is sometimes reduced as much as one-third of that required when it is introduced at a constant rate, without changing the amount of oil production. The maximum pressure required is usually higher, but the average equal to or lower than that required for constant rate of flow. The effect on the wells is usually an irregular rate of flowing which may cause inconvenience where recycling is practiced. It would seem that this increase in efficiency is due to less slippage when the gas is introduced intermittently than when it is intro-

Jan 1, 1928

By Curtis L. Graversen, J. H. Hamilton, John C. Nixon, John R. Lewis

RECENTLY there has been much speculation concerning the advantages of using oxygen enriched air or pure oxygen in pyrometallurgical processes. The advantage of using oxygen in the iron blast furnace and elsewhere in ferrous production metallurgy has been given careful consideration and, as a result, several experiments have been tried and a number of papers have recently appeared on this subject.1.2 The use of oxygen in nonferrous smelting likewise poses interesting problems, therefore any experimental data obtained in this area should likewise be of general interest.3 Ashcroft4 in 1933 claimed to have obtained improved results when copper concentrates were roasted in pure oxygen. However, his' paper gives neither data nor experimental details. A few years ago a research program was started in this laboratory which had for its objective the determination of the mechanism of oxidation of metallic sulfides under varying conditions. To date we have studied the oxidation of galena, 5 sphalerite, and chalcocite. It is a well known fact that copper sulfide minerals are oxidized slowly by weathering agents, so that the sulfides of copper which find their way into a tailing pond are gradually changed into watersoluble and acid-soluble compounds. Commercially, the oxidation of copper sulfide minerals is accomplished by roasting them at elevated temperatures in air using a suitable (usually multiple-hearth) roaster. Most copper smelters are equipped with such roasters. In this phase of the study we were especially interested in determining the effect of temperature on: (I) the air oxidation of chalcocite and (2) the oxidation of chalcocite using commercial oxygen. The amount of sulphur removed as sulphur dioxide, the percentages of water-soluble copper, and of acid-soluble copper were determined for the air oxidation tests. In the tests using commercial oxygen, the percentages of sulphur dioxide, water-soluble copper, acid-soluble copper, water-soluble sulphur and acid-soluble sulphur were determined. For these experiments the temperature was varied from 250 to 700°°C. EXPERIMENTAL Preparation of Chalcocite (Cu2S) Natural chalcocite is not pure. Minerals such as bornite, covellite, and chalcopyrite may be present. It was decided, therefore, to prepare some chalcocite in our own laboratory. An intimate mixture of sulphur and finely divided metallic copper in the ratio of 4 g of copper to I g of sulphur was prepared. To this was added a slight excess of

Jan 1, 1948

SAN FRANCISCO SECTION Roy H. ELLIOTT, Chairman - T. A. RICKARD, Vice-chairman W. H. SHOCKLEY, Secretary-Treasurer, 959 Waverley St., Palo Alto, Cal. D. A4. RIORDAN C. F. TOLMAN, JR. A joint meeting of the local sections of the several national engineering societies represented in San Francisco was held at the Engineers'. Club on Thursday evening, Sept. 26, 1918. The subject for the evening, "Fuel Conservation," was ably discussed by a-number of representatives of the Federal Administration and by engineers interested in the generation and utilization of all kinds of power on the Pacific Coast. The following extracts from papers presented at this meeting have been selected as being of the greatest interest and value to members of this Institute. Problems of the Fuel Administration ALBERT E. SCHWABACHER.-America's war needs call for 100,000,000 more tons of coal this year than in 1917, and 200,000,000 tons more than in 1914, when the war started, and this increase must come from a weaker man-power than that of 1917. It must be transported by a railroad system that has not been improved since the war started, and has been burdened with inconceivably greater demands than were made upon it before the war. This tremendous increased demand must be met by most intensive work in three directions; increased production, efficient conservation, and a distribution system which will insure against lost motion. While every European country has decreased its coal production since the war began, the United States has mined 50,000,000 tons more coal, during the first year of the war, and will increase this by another 50,000,000 the present year. Every 8 days there are being mined and transported as great a weight of coal as of the entire wheat crop of the United States. Of the 735,000,000 tons of coal which must be made available for consumption by our railroads, ships, war industries and people, 100,000,000 tons will come from the anthracite fields, the remainder from the bituminous fields. In 1917 there were produced about 330,000,000 bbl. of oil, and this year an additional amount over last year's production, of approximately 23,000,000 bbl. will be required. Water power developed 5,000,000 hp., the demand greatly exceeding the available supply.

Jan 12, 1918

By B. B. Zavoico

The oil industry in the Soviet Union closed the 1929-1930 operating year fulfilling its assigned program. During this period of time, however, no basic improvements were noted within the industry. A careful study of the conditions indicates that disorganization in most branches increased continually; that supply and transportation problems are approaching a state of breakdown; that labor problems become increasingly difficult and that the estimates for 1931-1933 period are too large. The production of all Russian fields increased by 27,200,000 bbl., as compared with the 1928-1929 operating year, while the next year's program anticipates a further increase of 46,000,000 bbl., and the 1933 plans call for an amazing total of 330,000,000 bbl., or over 150 per cent, more than the production of the operating year that has just closed. Table 1 shows petroleum production in Russia by individual areas and fields from 1916, and furnishes estimates for the three coming years, which constitute the balance of the Five-year plan. A brief analysis of Table 1 will show that the Soviet Planning Commission anticipates that the fully developed fields of the Apsheron-Baku will double their production by 1933, .as compared with 1929-1930, and that the old Grozny fields, which are already showing a tendency to decline, will increase their output from 44,110,000 bbl. in 1929-1930 to 68,000,000 bbl. in 1933. Furthermore, in 1933 new fields are slated to produce not less than 100,000,000 bbl., a figure which even under most favorable conditions in Russia would be hard to achieve. Of course, Russia could develop such production, because the country is not lacking in the prospective reserves, but the transportation in the country today (as in the past.) is in such poor shape that neither the supply of a gigantic oil industry nor the movement of its products is within the realm of possibility. Table 1 shows the future estimated crude oil production as required by the Five-year plan, and also as reasonably estimated by the author, taking into account natural declines in old fields, slow development of new areas and the deficiency of the transport. While in the 1929-1930 operating year only two major fields underproduced (Surakany and Maikop) and the plan was fulfilled to the extent of 97.4 per cent., the production of the last three months of 1930 ("Shock Quarter") indicated

Jan 1, 1931