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By Jasinder S. Jaspal, John A. Reeves, Bradley J. Bourquin

INTRODUCTION The United States has an abundance of coal reserves in thick seams. Most of these resources are in the West. Surface mining operations in thick seams are highly efficient, particularly in the West, but methods for mining thick seams underground are very limited. The percentage of resource recovery in deep mining of thick seams is often as low as 30 percent. It is estimated that there are 45 billion tons of coal reserves for underground mining in seams greater than 10-ft thick in the western states alone. With such a large available reserve base and low rates of recovery, the need to develop the technology to mine these thick reserves is quite evident. As the definition of a thick seam varies widely from country to country, a thick seam is defined here as any seam where the height is such that it is not minable in a single pass with available mining equipment.

Jan 1, 1981

By M. R. J. Wyllie, F. Morgan, P. F. Fulton

The importance of formation factor, F, not only in electric logging but as a fundamental rock parameter has recently been stressed.',: The desirability of investigating the range of variation of the resistivity index exponent, n, in the relationship I = S ;", where I is the resistivity index and Sw the water saturation as a fraction of the void volume of a porous medium, has also been urged.3 The magnitude and variation of n with saturation and rock texture is a subject not only of theoretical interest but also one of prime importance in the interpretation of electric logs. A simple technique has recently been developed which enables both F and u to he measured with high accuracy and which may also find acceptance as a convenient method for the determination of irreducible saturation attainment in the restored state method of core analysis. Experience has taught that reproducible measurements of F are possible only if the resistance measuring electrodes are so arranged with respect to a plane face on a porous medium that they are able to make electrical contact with substantially all entry pores in that plane. In practice this may be achieved by using a platinized-platinum gauze electrode backed by some absorbent material (such as felt) which has been saturated with a fluid identical with that used to saturate the porous medium. Applicatiorl of pressure to the electrode and absorbent material then forces the gauze against the plane face of the porous medium and simultaneously squeezes saline solution through the meshes of the gauze. By this means the electrode is in continuous aqueous contact with all pores and satisfactory and reproducible low resistance contact with the porous medium is achieved. Clearly this method, although satisfactory for measurements of F, cannot be applied to the making of continuous resistance measurements on a porous medium while capillary pressure desaturation is being carried out. However, accepting the principle that for satisfactory results electrical contact must be made between a measuring electrode and all pores adja- cent to that electrude, methods of bringing electrodes into intimate contact with the surfaces of porous media were investigated. Two methods were ultimately found to be satisfactory: in the one, the metal electrode is formed on the required portion of the porous medium by the use of a metal spray gun, while in the second the electrode is painted on with an ordinary camel's hair brush. The first method has the advantage of permitting the use of any metal which can be sprayed, but has the disadvantage of requiring rather elaborate and expensive equipment. The second method is presently limited to silver electrodes although in principle other metals, e.g. platinum or gold, could be used. Moreover, the method is so simple and cheap, and has been found to be so satisfactory that it will be described in some detail. The core being investigated is cut into a right circular cylinder and is extracted and dried in the usual manner. The ends are then lightly painted with silver conducting paint* of the type used in printed electrical circuits. The quantity of paint used is not critical but the recommended, minimum compatible with entirely coating the core ends is recommended, particularly on the end that contacts the barrier. The core is then dried at atmospheric temperature for one hour or for shorter periods at any suitable elevated temperature up to about 110°C. It will be found that silver coatings so prepared are not only strongly adherent but also permeable and the core may be the core may be desaturated by the ordinary capillary pressure technique through one of the coated faces. The same permeability is characteristic also of thin metal coatings formed using the spray-gun technique. An ordinary Lucite capillary pressure desaturation cell has been adapted to a form suitable for measuring the resistivity of the saturated silver faced cores both at 100 per cent saturation (i.e., F) and at intermediate saturations down to the irreducible minimum. This has been achieved as follows: A Coors porcelain barrier, having a displacement pressure of c 30 psi was grooved across a diameter. Dimensions of this groove were c 1 mm deep and 1 mm wide at the top. The groove was then painted thickly with silver conducting paint, the paint in the groove being extended lightly over the edges of the groove for a distance of c 1 mm on each side. A 30 gauge silver wire was then arranged in the groove in a form of a spring bow, each end of the silver being held at diamet~ically opposite ends of the groove by means of plastic cement. The arc of the bow at its highest point was arranged to be a millimeter or so above the face of the barrier, while one end of the bow wire was led by means of a pressure-tight connection through the wall of the capillary pressure cell. The groove in the barrier was then Surrounded by suitably cut portions of Kleenex in the conventional manner so as to ensure capillary continuity from core to barrier, and the core placed on the barrier. The weight of the core distorted the silver spring bow and good electrical contact was thereby made between the outside of the cell and the lower painted silver electrode. Electrical connection to tile top painted silver

Jan 1, 1951

By M. R. J. Wyllie, F. Morgan, P. F. Fulton

The importance of formation factor, F, not only in electric logging but as a fundamental rock parameter has recently been stressed.',: The desirability of investigating the range of variation of the resistivity index exponent, n, in the relationship I = S ;", where I is the resistivity index and Sw the water saturation as a fraction of the void volume of a porous medium, has also been urged.3 The magnitude and variation of n with saturation and rock texture is a subject not only of theoretical interest but also one of prime importance in the interpretation of electric logs. A simple technique has recently been developed which enables both F and u to he measured with high accuracy and which may also find acceptance as a convenient method for the determination of irreducible saturation attainment in the restored state method of core analysis. Experience has taught that reproducible measurements of F are possible only if the resistance measuring electrodes are so arranged with respect to a plane face on a porous medium that they are able to make electrical contact with substantially all entry pores in that plane. In practice this may be achieved by using a platinized-platinum gauze electrode backed by some absorbent material (such as felt) which has been saturated with a fluid identical with that used to saturate the porous medium. Applicatiorl of pressure to the electrode and absorbent material then forces the gauze against the plane face of the porous medium and simultaneously squeezes saline solution through the meshes of the gauze. By this means the electrode is in continuous aqueous contact with all pores and satisfactory and reproducible low resistance contact with the porous medium is achieved. Clearly this method, although satisfactory for measurements of F, cannot be applied to the making of continuous resistance measurements on a porous medium while capillary pressure desaturation is being carried out. However, accepting the principle that for satisfactory results electrical contact must be made between a measuring electrode and all pores adja- cent to that electrude, methods of bringing electrodes into intimate contact with the surfaces of porous media were investigated. Two methods were ultimately found to be satisfactory: in the one, the metal electrode is formed on the required portion of the porous medium by the use of a metal spray gun, while in the second the electrode is painted on with an ordinary camel's hair brush. The first method has the advantage of permitting the use of any metal which can be sprayed, but has the disadvantage of requiring rather elaborate and expensive equipment. The second method is presently limited to silver electrodes although in principle other metals, e.g. platinum or gold, could be used. Moreover, the method is so simple and cheap, and has been found to be so satisfactory that it will be described in some detail. The core being investigated is cut into a right circular cylinder and is extracted and dried in the usual manner. The ends are then lightly painted with silver conducting paint* of the type used in printed electrical circuits. The quantity of paint used is not critical but the recommended, minimum compatible with entirely coating the core ends is recommended, particularly on the end that contacts the barrier. The core is then dried at atmospheric temperature for one hour or for shorter periods at any suitable elevated temperature up to about 110°C. It will be found that silver coatings so prepared are not only strongly adherent but also permeable and the core may be the core may be desaturated by the ordinary capillary pressure technique through one of the coated faces. The same permeability is characteristic also of thin metal coatings formed using the spray-gun technique. An ordinary Lucite capillary pressure desaturation cell has been adapted to a form suitable for measuring the resistivity of the saturated silver faced cores both at 100 per cent saturation (i.e., F) and at intermediate saturations down to the irreducible minimum. This has been achieved as follows: A Coors porcelain barrier, having a displacement pressure of c 30 psi was grooved across a diameter. Dimensions of this groove were c 1 mm deep and 1 mm wide at the top. The groove was then painted thickly with silver conducting paint, the paint in the groove being extended lightly over the edges of the groove for a distance of c 1 mm on each side. A 30 gauge silver wire was then arranged in the groove in a form of a spring bow, each end of the silver being held at diamet~ically opposite ends of the groove by means of plastic cement. The arc of the bow at its highest point was arranged to be a millimeter or so above the face of the barrier, while one end of the bow wire was led by means of a pressure-tight connection through the wall of the capillary pressure cell. The groove in the barrier was then Surrounded by suitably cut portions of Kleenex in the conventional manner so as to ensure capillary continuity from core to barrier, and the core placed on the barrier. The weight of the core distorted the silver spring bow and good electrical contact was thereby made between the outside of the cell and the lower painted silver electrode. Electrical connection to tile top painted silver

Jan 1, 1951

By K. R. Waugh, Barbara S. Brown, D. W. James

AN electronic data-processing system is described which permits rapid, accurate, low-cost processing of strain-dependent damping data utilizing equipment normally available within the service facilities of most large laboratories. On analyzing the record of a stress-dependent damping test, the operator usually measures the double amplitudes at several points on the decay curve. The logarithmic decrement is then calculated for decay between consecutive amplitudes. These values of 6 are plotted against the corresponding maximum surface shear stress, T, which is proportional to the average of the two amplitudes between which is calculated: where d is the specimen diameter. The period of the vibration is not necessarily constant during decay; thus, each cycle must be counted. A decay curve may extend to, perhaps, 1000 cycles, and at least two curves are always obtained for each specimen or set of conditions. It can, therefore, be seen that manual analysis of decay curves is both tedious and costly in terms of man-hours. Furthermore, the resolution of the record is often such that accurate measurement of amplitude is extremely dif-

Jan 1, 1969

By Thomas J. Pike, Keith G. Kirk, Mark F. Weider, Lawrence E. Welborn

As part of the mine permitting process as delegated by the Surface Mining Reclamation and Control Act of 1977 the regulatory authority must assess the probable hydrologic consequences and cumulative hydrologic impacts of surf ace mining. The U.S. Office of Surface Mining (OSM), in conjunction with Energy & Minerals Technology Assessment and ENCORE Systems Inc., has developed a user friendly groundwater model that is capable of predicting the effects of surface mining on groundwater quality and quantity. The model is a variation of the Prickett-Lonnquist model which has been modified to be specifically applicable to surface mine applications. This model is presently being used by OSM, the states, and industry to determine mining impacts on groundwater resources. The model is designed for use by the hydrologist with minimal computer training. The model accounts for multiple pumping wells, injection wells, multiple mine pits, and mine pit movement through time. This paper presents an example of how the model may be used in permit application review and how the model can be used by industry to simplify permit preparation.

Jan 1, 1983

By F. M. Lewis, J. F. Meyers

In the mining and handling of sulphide ores, some degree of oxidation takes place on the sulphide surfaces, which are exposed to the atmosphere. It is, moreover, well known that the oxidation compounds formed are a factor when such ores are subsequently treated by flotation. Modern operating technique and reagents are capable of contending with this condition to a major degree, provided that the proportions of the reagents used are varied correctly. This is particularly true at the Tennessee Copper Co., where the ore treated contains pyrrhotite in addition to other sulphides. A number of soluble salts, some of which are unstable, can be formed during the oxidation of the sulphide ores. Those unstable salts, whose oxygen requirements are unsatisfied, are constantly changing to more stable forms because oxygen reacts with them during the crushing, grinding and other operations of ore preparation. We add no chemicals of any kid to the ore pulp in its preparation for flotation feed. Consequently the only compounds that are present in the flotation feed are those produced by the natural oxidation of the ore in the presence of air and water. The Tennessee Copper Co. ore is composed of from 60 to 70 per cent sulphides and from 40 to 30 per cent non-sulphide material. It is not the purpose of this paper to discuss the nature of these various oxygen-sulphur compounds nor their effect on flotation, but to describe a method for correcting the effect. Suffice it to say that we have found that the reducing sulphur and oxygen salts have a depressing action on our bulk flotation process.' From long experience we find that the best means of correcting for this variation in our work is to increase or decrease the quantity of xanthate, the promoting agent, as the quantity of the reducing salts increases or decreases. It was, therefore, very desirable to provide the operators with some quick and

Jan 1, 1947

By F. M. Lewis, J. F. Meyers

In the mining and handling of sulphide ores, some degree of oxidation takes place on the sulphide surfaces, which are exposed to the atmosphere. It is, moreover, well known that the oxidation compounds formed are a factor when such ores are subsequently treated by flotation. Modern operating technique and reagents are capable of contending with this condition to a major degree, provided that the proportions of the reagents used are varied correctly. This is particularly true at the Tennessee Copper Co., where the ore treated contains pyrrhotite in addition to other sulphides. A number of soluble salts, some of which are unstable, can be formed during the oxidation of the sulphide ores. Those unstable salts, whose oxygen requirements are unsatisfied, are constantly changing to more stable forms because oxygen reacts with them during the crushing, grinding and other operations of ore preparation. We add no chemicals of any kid to the ore pulp in its preparation for flotation feed. Consequently the only compounds that are present in the flotation feed are those produced by the natural oxidation of the ore in the presence of air and water. The Tennessee Copper Co. ore is composed of from 60 to 70 per cent sulphides and from 40 to 30 per cent non-sulphide material. It is not the purpose of this paper to discuss the nature of these various oxygen-sulphur compounds nor their effect on flotation, but to describe a method for correcting the effect. Suffice it to say that we have found that the reducing sulphur and oxygen salts have a depressing action on our bulk flotation process.' From long experience we find that the best means of correcting for this variation in our work is to increase or decrease the quantity of xanthate, the promoting agent, as the quantity of the reducing salts increases or decreases. It was, therefore, very desirable to provide the operators with some quick and

Jan 1, 1947

By Maurice Ewing, L. Don Leet

The most important quantitative method in seismic prospecting by refraction shooting is the method of profiles. A profile is established by firing a series of charges at various points along a straight line which terminates at the seismograph. The same data are obtained by repeatedly firing charges at one place and recording at a series of stations along the line of the profile. The quantities which are measured are the distance x from each firing position to the seismograph and the time t required for the first disturbance from each explosion to travel to the seismograph. These data are used in plotting the familiar time-distance graph. The only time-distance graphs that will be considered here are those obtained in localities where the velocity of propagation depends solely on the depth beneath the surface; that is, where there is no slope in the subsurface. The essential calculation to be made from such a time-distance graph is the determination of P(x), the maximum depth of penetration of a disturbance coming to the seismograph from a firing point at the distance x from the instrument. If the time-distance graph consists of a series of straight lines, as is often the case, the penetration P(x) can be calculated by means of formulas which appear in almost every description of seismic prospecting.' Until the present, however, the only formula that has been available for calculating P(x) for time-distance graphs which are smooth curves is one which requires an arbitrary assumption regarding the law of velocity increase with depth.2 The practice in these cases has been to approximate the curve by means of a number of straight lines and then to apply the ordinary straight-line formulas. This method clearly can yield accurate results only when a sufficiently large number of straight lines is used. The labor of computation increases rapidly when the number of lines is increased, so too few lines often are used. Further than that, there is a strong tendency to overlook the approximate nature

Jan 1, 1932

By J. B. DILWORTA

Ix estimating the investment-value of a mining-property or plant, the value of which decreases with operation, it is often necessary to know the sum which must be set aside periodically from earnings either to renew the plant at the end off its life, or to return the capital involved when the earning-power of the investment has ceased. In such cases it is manifestly incorrect simply to divide the total amount to be retired by the number of periods (usually years) during which the investment shall be active, as the sums periodically withdrawn have a certain interest-earning power varying with the length of time they are held and with the opportunities afforded for their investment. But though the interest may be considered to accumulate regularly year by year, yet the rules and tables for compound interest do not apply, owing to the addition of a fixed amount of new money to the total at the beginning of each period. Briefly stated, the problem of sinking-funds is, to find the amount of money which must be periodically set aside at a certain rate of interest, regularly compounded, to yield a certain sum in a given, length of time. In most practical cases the interest is compounded and the fresh amount added at the same time-usually once a year-and on this basis the problem may be solved as follows

Nov 1, 1909

By Zhengbo Pan, Fujun Gou, Jifei Chen

This paper discusses the various alternatives that are technically feasible for "over-the-raise" continuous advancing in gently inclined coal seams and the computer-aided selection of the optimal mining option. Examples in Wangshiao Coal Mine and Chaohua Coal Mine are cited to illustrate the interval between raises, face length, single or double raise layout and single or double face layout.

Jan 1, 1983

By R. N. Kust, J. C. Agarwal, H. E. Barner, N. Beecher, D. S. Davies

Kennecott Copper Corp. has developed a new hydro-metallurgical process for extracting nickel, copper, cobalt and molybdenum from manganese nodules. This process (KCC Cuprion Process) utilizes a reduction leach operating at atmospheric pressure in the temperature range of 45 OC to 50°C and has been successfully demonstrated in a continuous pilot plant processing 350 kg/d of nodule ore. The chemistry, basic flowsheet and operating characteristics are presented and discussed.

Jan 1, 1980

By C. H. Mahoney, P. E. LeGrand, A. L. Tarr

MAGNESIUM, it is now generally realized, differs in some important aspects from most other structural metals, not excepting even its close neighbors, the aluminum-base alloys. This is particularly true with respect to the effects of elevated temperatures on the two light metals when in the molten state. Aluminum, on the one hand, should not be raised above its melting point any higher than is absolutely necessary if one is to avoid danger of gas absorption and a tendency toward grain growth in the resultant casting.1 Magnesium alloys, in sharp contrast, actually benefit by being heated to temperatures considerably above their melting point. It is a commonly accepted practice to establish the desired fine grain in the industrial magnesium alloys of the aluminum-bearing group by raising the temperature of the melt after the refining treatment to some 25e C (482°F.) above the melting range. To recall briefly the typical practice for magnesium alloys, the molten metal is refined by fluxing at about 730° C. (1350 F.), and after the melt has been covered with a suitable flux, the temperature is raised to between 870°C. (1600°F.) and 930°C. (I700°F.). It is then cooled as quickly as possible to the casting temperature. This superheating, as it is called, results in a fine-grained cast metal structure which has superior mechanical properties, enhanced amenability to solution heat-treatment, and better machinability than cast metal that has not been superheated. The minimum temperature of superheating varies to some extent with the composition of the alloys to be treated and usually increases with the percentage of magnesium in alloys containing the same constituent metals.2 It should be noted that the grain-refining effect of superheating is markedly apparent only in connection with the alloys containing aluminum as an alloying constituent-the binary alloy containing r.5 per cent manganese, for example, is not refined in grain to any noticeable extent by a superheating effort. While the phenomenon of superheating is well known in the magnesium industry, the mechanism of the process has remained a mystery. During the superheating cycle something occurs that forces a fine grain upon the solidifying metal. The process has been controlled in an empirical manner, and occasionally, especially on large-scale melts, and for no apparent cause, no grain refinement is obtained from a superheating treatment. Only a few papers of importance have been published on the subject. Of these, one of the most helpful is the paper by Achenbach, Nipper and Piwowarski,3 which gives considerable data concerning the effect of superheating on various properties such as fluidity, shrinkage and hot crack formation, as well as grain size, and a discussion without any definite conclusions on the theoretical aspects of superheating. A short article by Murphy, Wells and

Jan 1, 1945

By Zdzislaw Specht

This paper discusses elementary laws pertaining to seismic reflection methods and presents a general and simple criterion for determining the direction of dipping of a reflection horizon from observational data of distance and time. The important development of practical geophysics and the successful results obtained in America, Germany, and other countries, caused introduction of geophysical methods of prospecting in Poland. Of all methods, seismic prospecting has proved most successful in the area of the Carpathian foreland, where new oil reserves are to be expected. Because of the great depth of the sedimentary column in that area, ranging sometimes over 2000 meters, it was obvious that only the seismic reflection method could give reliable information regarding the structural features of these strata at such a depth. During the experimental surveys it appeared that the complicated geological conditions of that area do not always allow prediction of the depth and the angle of dipping of reflecting horizons, and for that reason information about the inclination of a given horizon has great importance in the determination of subsurface structure. Therefore the problem arises of obtaining from seismic reflection data reliable information as to the direction of dipping of reflecting strata, without any previous knowledge of the average velocity and depth of geologic horizons under consideration. Reflection Seismograms The earth, being a nonhomogeneous medium, is composed of a series of layers, which differ from each other in their physical properties, particularly in their elastic coefficients. These variations in elasticity are the cause of refraction and reflection of a seismic wave. Under the simple but only approximately correct assumption of the straight-line path or an elementary elastic disturbance, the phenomena mentioned

Jan 1, 1940

By Zdzislaw Specht

This paper discusses elementary laws pertaining to seismic reflection methods and presents a general and simple criterion for determining the direction of dipping of a reflection horizon from observational data of distance and time. The important development of practical geophysics and the successful results obtained in America, Germany, and other countries, caused introduction of geophysical methods of prospecting in Poland. Of all methods, seismic prospecting has proved most successful in the area of the Carpathian foreland, where new oil reserves are to be expected. Because of the great depth of the sedimentary column in that area, ranging sometimes over 2000 meters, it was obvious that only the seismic reflection method could give reliable information regarding the structural features of these strata at such a depth. During the experimental surveys it appeared that the complicated geological conditions of that area do not always allow prediction of the depth and the angle of dipping of reflecting horizons, and for that reason information about the inclination of a given horizon has great importance in the determination of subsurface structure. Therefore the problem arises of obtaining from seismic reflection data reliable information as to the direction of dipping of reflecting strata, without any previous knowledge of the average velocity and depth of geologic horizons under consideration. Reflection Seismograms The earth, being a nonhomogeneous medium, is composed of a series of layers, which differ from each other in their physical properties, particularly in their elastic coefficients. These variations in elasticity are the cause of refraction and reflection of a seismic wave. Under the simple but only approximately correct assumption of the straight-line path or an elementary elastic disturbance, the phenomena mentioned

Jan 1, 1940

Prof. Henry S. Jacoby, Cornell University,Ithaca, N.Y. (communication to the Secretary): When a simple beam supports any given load, the lower fibers me in tension while the upper fibers are in compression, and if its cross-section is rectangular the neutral surface, where the stresses pass through zero from tension to compression, is at mid-depth, provided the elastic limit is not exceeded. In addition to the longitudinal stresses, there are horizontal shearing-stresses between the fibers which have their maximum value in the neutral surface, and which equal zero at the upper and lower surfaces, while there are also vertical shearing-stresses. Let another beam of the same dimensions be placed on top of this one, and the load be doubled, it then produces stresses in each beam of the same character, magnitude and distribution as in the preceding case, provided there be no friction between the adjacent surfaces of the beams. Next let these two beams be so firmly united that there will be no motion between them when the same load is again applied. All the fibers in the upper beam are now in compression, and those in the lower beam in tension, while the maximum stresses in the outer fibers are only one-half as large as before. The strength of the combined beams is therefore doubled. If, however, some motion occurs between the beams, then the stresses in some of the lower fibers of the upper beam pass from compression to tension, and those in some of the upper fibers of the lower beam from tension to compression, while the stresses in the outer fibers have a magnitude between the two values previously stated. These fundamental facts relating to the flexure of beams indicate the necessity of carefully designing the keys or brace-

Jan 1, 1898

By Oliver Bowles

When a new type of equipment revolutionizes methods of quarrying one kind of stone, producers of other kinds focus their attention on its potentialities in their particular fields. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the accomplishments of the wire saw in slate, to show its more limited attainments in other kinds of stone, and to point out the possibilities of much wider application. A wire saw consists of a 3/16-in. or ji-in. three-strand wire cable that runs as a belt and cuts the rock by abrasion. (Fig. 1. The teeth of the saw are sand grains carried in the grooves between the strands. Accomplishments in Slate† Initial experiments with wire saws by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in the Colonial Slate Quarry, Wind Gap, Pa., in 1926, attained success so immediate and pronounced that within two years in virtually every quarry in the neighborhood of Wind Gap, Pen Argyl and Bangor, the most productive slate area in the United States, wire saws were substituted for channeling machines. An 80-ft. cut in slate is shown in Fig. 2. The technique of operation has been described in several reports (references at the end of the paper). The present purpose is to summarize the accomplishments in a large, typical slate quarry after nine. years of experience. Parsons Bros. Slate Co., at Pen Argyl, Pa., substituted two wire saws for six channeling machines in 1927. The following comparisons are made between the present method with wire saws and the former channel-ing-machine method. Rate of Sawing.—The average rate of cutting with a wire saw in the early days of its operation, as determined by the Bureau of Mines', wits 14 to 17 sq. ft. per hour. Parsons Bros. Slate Co. estimates the present rate of cutting at about 25 sq. ft. an hour, whereas the channeling-rnarhirle

Jan 1, 1938

By Oliver Bowles

When a new type of equipment revolutionizes methods of quarrying one kind of stone, producers of other kinds focus their attention on its potentialities in their particular fields. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the accomplishments of the wire saw in slate, to show its more limited attainments in other kinds of stone, and to point out the possibilities of much wider application. A wire saw consists of a 3/16-in. or ji-in. three-strand wire cable that runs as a belt and cuts the rock by abrasion. (Fig. 1. The teeth of the saw are sand grains carried in the grooves between the strands. Accomplishments in Slate† Initial experiments with wire saws by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in the Colonial Slate Quarry, Wind Gap, Pa., in 1926, attained success so immediate and pronounced that within two years in virtually every quarry in the neighborhood of Wind Gap, Pen Argyl and Bangor, the most productive slate area in the United States, wire saws were substituted for channeling machines. An 80-ft. cut in slate is shown in Fig. 2. The technique of operation has been described in several reports (references at the end of the paper). The present purpose is to summarize the accomplishments in a large, typical slate quarry after nine. years of experience. Parsons Bros. Slate Co., at Pen Argyl, Pa., substituted two wire saws for six channeling machines in 1927. The following comparisons are made between the present method with wire saws and the former channel-ing-machine method. Rate of Sawing.—The average rate of cutting with a wire saw in the early days of its operation, as determined by the Bureau of Mines', wits 14 to 17 sq. ft. per hour. Parsons Bros. Slate Co. estimates the present rate of cutting at about 25 sq. ft. an hour, whereas the channeling-rnarhirle

Jan 1, 1938

By L. L. Gray, D. W. Reed, F. Morgan

A flowMeter has been developed at Gulf Research and Development Co. and tested in the field for measuring the flow of gas in well bores. It has been used in a study of the injection capacity of different horizons in gas injection wells in Oklahoma. The flow sensitive element of the meter is a semi-conductor having a very high temperature coefficient of resistance. Advantages possessed by this meter are the result of that property and the high specific resistance of the element. The instrument possesses a sensitivity considerably higher than any reported previously. In the application described here the element is heated to a temperature considerably above ambient by an electric current, which is supplied by a voltage source at the surface. When fluid flows through the meter the rate of dissipation of heat is increased and the temperature of the element decreases. Because of the negative temperature characteristics of the resistance element such a decrease of temperature will be accompanied by an increase of resistance which, under flow conditions ordinarily found in wells, is of such a magnitude that it can be directly measured or recorded in terms of a change in voltage at the surface. In practice, rate of flow is measured in terms of the drop in voltage in the resistance element. All the metering and control apparatus remains at the surface while the thermal element is lowered into the well on a single conductor cable, consisting of an insulated wire and sheath. The meter is calibrated by passing known quantities of gas through it either at the surface or in the hole at a point immediately above the region in which gas is lost to the formation. In case calibration is made at the surface, the ambient temperature in the hole may readily be obtained by a second resistance element which is operated at a current so low that effectively no heating occurs. The instrument has been adapted to con-tinuous recording, but the velocity of the meter relative to that of the gas must be low unless corrections are made. Curves giving data obtained in actual field tests are shown' The meter can also be used to determine the distribution of flow capacity in a gas producing well. A differential form of the meter has been designed and built in which the local flow or injection capacity of the formation is obtained directly. Introduction When fluid is injected into a well in a secondary recovery or pressure-maintenance operation the question of its most effective use invariably arises. Although the core log, when available, will show the regions of good permeability and oil saturation, there is normally no assurance that the fluid actually enters the formation in zones where injection is deemed desirable. In view of the uncertainties involved in such programs, it is generally conceded that measurements of permeability for a formation in place are more significant than those obtained by the core-sampling technique. A subsurface meter has been developed at the Gulf Research and Development Co. for measuring flow of fluids at different horizons in a well bore, and field tests have been made on the instrument in Cooperation with the Tulsa Division of the Gulf Oil Corp. In this paper the meter is de-

Jan 1, 1948

By F. Morgan, L. L. Gray, D. W. Reed

A flowMeter has been developed at Gulf Research and Development Co. and tested in the field for measuring the flow of gas in well bores. It has been used in a study of the injection capacity of different horizons in gas injection wells in Oklahoma. The flow sensitive element of the meter is a semi-conductor having a very high temperature coefficient of resistance. Advantages possessed by this meter are the result of that property and the high specific resistance of the element. The instrument possesses a sensitivity considerably higher than any reported previously. In the application described here the element is heated to a temperature considerably above ambient by an electric current, which is supplied by a voltage source at the surface. When fluid flows through the meter the rate of dissipation of heat is increased and the temperature of the element decreases. Because of the negative temperature characteristics of the resistance element such a decrease of temperature will be accompanied by an increase of resistance which, under flow conditions ordinarily found in wells, is of such a magnitude that it can be directly measured or recorded in terms of a change in voltage at the surface. In practice, rate of flow is measured in terms of the drop in voltage in the resistance element. All the metering and control apparatus remains at the surface while the thermal element is lowered into the well on a single conductor cable, consisting of an insulated wire and sheath. The meter is calibrated by passing known quantities of gas through it either at the surface or in the hole at a point immediately above the region in which gas is lost to the formation. In case calibration is made at the surface, the ambient temperature in the hole may readily be obtained by a second resistance element which is operated at a current so low that effectively no heating occurs. The instrument has been adapted to con-tinuous recording, but the velocity of the meter relative to that of the gas must be low unless corrections are made. Curves giving data obtained in actual field tests are shown' The meter can also be used to determine the distribution of flow capacity in a gas producing well. A differential form of the meter has been designed and built in which the local flow or injection capacity of the formation is obtained directly. Introduction When fluid is injected into a well in a secondary recovery or pressure-maintenance operation the question of its most effective use invariably arises. Although the core log, when available, will show the regions of good permeability and oil saturation, there is normally no assurance that the fluid actually enters the formation in zones where injection is deemed desirable. In view of the uncertainties involved in such programs, it is generally conceded that measurements of permeability for a formation in place are more significant than those obtained by the core-sampling technique. A subsurface meter has been developed at the Gulf Research and Development Co. for measuring flow of fluids at different horizons in a well bore, and field tests have been made on the instrument in Cooperation with the Tulsa Division of the Gulf Oil Corp. In this paper the meter is de-

Jan 1, 1948

By Sidney H. Haughton

WHEN the white pioneers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries advanced from the coastal settlements of southern Africa into the interior of the subcontinent, they found it inhabited, more or less sparsely, by brown or black peoples mainly of pastoral habits but equipped with a fighting spirit and certain fighting weapons. Some of the tribes were smiths, others were miners and metallurgists; all used fuel, either industrially or domestically. Some of that fuel was wood, some cattle dung, and in some places the natives mined outcrop coal. Coal was first discovered by Europeans in Natal about 1840. After proper deliberation and after allowing due time for a consideration of all the implications, the Natal Government decided in 1881 (40 years after) to import an English expert to investigate and report on the discovery. Things then moved rapidly, and in what to a geologist is the remarkably short space of eight years, Natal collieries were producing at the rate of nearly 30,000 long tons per annum or 100 long tons per working day!

Jan 1, 1945