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By AIME AIME

PRIZES totaling $450 were awarded at the Annual Meeting luncheon on Monday, Feb. 9, to the winners of the third national student prize paper contest. The undergraduate prizewinners, each of whom received a check for $100, were as follows: Mayo W. Lanning, Lafayette College, for his paper entitled ?Some Aspects of the Mining Methods Employed at the Scrub Oak Mines of the Alan Wood Steel Company,? (entered by the Lehigh Valley Section). Charles F. Parent, Montana School of Mines, for his paper entitled ?Relationships of Manganese Minerals in the Butte District,? (entered by the Montana Section). Harry Czyzewski, University of Illinois, for his paper entitled ?A Metallurgical Study of Cast Irons Used for Glass Molds,? (entered by the Chicago Section).

Jan 1, 1942

By John T. Galey

A combination of two factors in addition to the current Federal drilling and price regulations reduced by 120 from I942 the number of new wells completed in southwestern Pennsylvania during the year. No new prospective area was found comparable to the Armbrust gas pool, Westmoreland Co., which accounted for a seventh of the last year's drilling, and it is considered doubtful whether, even if such a field had been discovered, the drilling contractors, who have been seriously affected by the manpower shortage, could have drilled many more wells than they did during the year. New wells totaling 445 were completed for a combined footage of over 1,250,000 Dry holes numbered 131 and had a footage of nearly 400,000. Old wells drilled deeper total 55, of which 17 were found nonproductive. Shallow Development Oil Oil completions yielded an initial of only slightly over one hundred barrels from 21 wells for about the same per well average as that of a year ago. However, 65 bbl. of this total came from two wells in two new strikes. The footage drilled of nearly 33,000 gives an average of nearly I00 ft. less per well than a year ago. Two old wells drilled deeper had a combined initial of only 4 bbl. The largest oil well of the year, 40 bbl., was found in the Speechley (U. Dev.) sand at a depth of 3492 ft. in German township, Fayette County. The location is several miles east of the nearest oil production hut as the area that could be occupied by a pool is fairly well delimited by drilling, the extent of this production would not appear to be large. The other notable oil production was found in the Dunkard (Penna.) sand, Cumberland township, Greene County, at a depth of 1065 ft. Here the first well had an initial of g bbl. and the second 25 bbl. However, a third proved dry, and as this area is also delimited by drilling, the pool doubtless will be of small area. Gas Gas completions yielded an initial of slightly over one hundred million cubic feet per day and new wells, totaling 303, account for all but four million of this volume. Old wells drilled deeper, numbering 35, found gas. The per well average in new drilling of approximately 320 M cu. ft. is nearly 165 M cu. ft. less than a year ago and the total footage is slightly over 830,000, which is about a quarter of a million feet less than in 1942. Average rock pressure of new completions is approximately 365 lb. per sq. in. The entire volume of new production is from the Upper Devonian or higher stratigraphic horizons. In Allegheny County, the grestest activity was in Forward and Plum townships. Wells there account for more than one half the completions. One large well was drilled in Forward township and an open flow of 3.623 million cubic feet was found in an old Gantz (U. Dev.) sand area. The top of the sand was encountered

Jan 1, 1944

By John T. Galey

A combination of two factors in addition to the current Federal drilling and price regulations reduced by 120 from I942 the number of new wells completed in southwestern Pennsylvania during the year. No new prospective area was found comparable to the Armbrust gas pool, Westmoreland Co., which accounted for a seventh of the last year's drilling, and it is considered doubtful whether, even if such a field had been discovered, the drilling contractors, who have been seriously affected by the manpower shortage, could have drilled many more wells than they did during the year. New wells totaling 445 were completed for a combined footage of over 1,250,000 Dry holes numbered 131 and had a footage of nearly 400,000. Old wells drilled deeper total 55, of which 17 were found nonproductive. Shallow Development Oil Oil completions yielded an initial of only slightly over one hundred barrels from 21 wells for about the same per well average as that of a year ago. However, 65 bbl. of this total came from two wells in two new strikes. The footage drilled of nearly 33,000 gives an average of nearly I00 ft. less per well than a year ago. Two old wells drilled deeper had a combined initial of only 4 bbl. The largest oil well of the year, 40 bbl., was found in the Speechley (U. Dev.) sand at a depth of 3492 ft. in German township, Fayette County. The location is several miles east of the nearest oil production hut as the area that could be occupied by a pool is fairly well delimited by drilling, the extent of this production would not appear to be large. The other notable oil production was found in the Dunkard (Penna.) sand, Cumberland township, Greene County, at a depth of 1065 ft. Here the first well had an initial of g bbl. and the second 25 bbl. However, a third proved dry, and as this area is also delimited by drilling, the pool doubtless will be of small area. Gas Gas completions yielded an initial of slightly over one hundred million cubic feet per day and new wells, totaling 303, account for all but four million of this volume. Old wells drilled deeper, numbering 35, found gas. The per well average in new drilling of approximately 320 M cu. ft. is nearly 165 M cu. ft. less than a year ago and the total footage is slightly over 830,000, which is about a quarter of a million feet less than in 1942. Average rock pressure of new completions is approximately 365 lb. per sq. in. The entire volume of new production is from the Upper Devonian or higher stratigraphic horizons. In Allegheny County, the grestest activity was in Forward and Plum townships. Wells there account for more than one half the completions. One large well was drilled in Forward township and an open flow of 3.623 million cubic feet was found in an old Gantz (U. Dev.) sand area. The top of the sand was encountered

Jan 1, 1944

By Richard M. Foose

Most of the roofing granules produced in Pennsylvania are made by two companies at three plants. The Advance Industrial Supply Co. has three quarries and a mill at Gladhill Station, in southern Adams County. The Funkhouser Company is actively engaged in mining, quarrying and milling at Charmian, about one mile west of Gladhill Station, and at Delta, in southern York County. These three plants produced approximately 100,000 short tons of granules in 1943. The production of rooling granules in 1937 for the whole country was only about 500,000 tons, generally indicating the large growth of the industry since that time. The fundamentals of producing roofing granules were discussed comprehensively by G. W. Josephson in a paper before the Industrial Minerals Division in October 1943 (TP 1725, this volume page 460). The purpose of this paper is to describe the actual methods of mining the rock and milling it to make roofing granules, as practiced by the three Pennsylvania plants. Mining and Milling Funkhouser Company (Delta) The Funkhouser Company, near Delta, in southern York County, Pennsylvania, operates three joined quarries and a mine in the Peach Bottom slate. The joined quarries extend 1200 ft. in a northeast-southwest direction along the strike of the slate cleavage and are about 200 ft. .wide. The working face is about 45 ft. high. The quarrying operation is rather simple: Ingersoll-Rand Jackhamers, I-in. and 1 1/4-in., with hollow drill steel, are used to undercut the quarry face with 10-ft. holes. The face is "blown" and allowed to slump on the quarry floor. Loaded by a Marion electric shovel into trucks, the shattered rock is taken to the primary crusher 2500 ft. away. In addition to the normal quarrying operations, a drift into the northeast wall of the middle quarry was begun about 1935, and has advanced about 2000 ft. since then. Rooms have been driven at angles to the drift along choice beds of slate. The drifts and rooms have a roof more than 35 ft. high and the main drift and rooms are all more than 40 ft. wide. There is no cribbing at any place in the mine. Several of the rooms were driven upward on a 5' slope and in some of them there was stop-ing. Ingersoll-Rand Jackhamers are used, and only wet drilling is practiced. When visited in January 1940, an electric shovel was operating at the head of the drift, scooping up the slate blasted out of the working face. This, too, is trucked to the primary crusher. Some of the better quality slate is saved for making slate shingles. The primary crusher, which is a No. 30 McCulley gyratory, receives the slate from the trucks and crushes it to about a-in. size (Fig. I). This product travels by a 30-in. belt conveyor to Niagara vibrating screens with 2-in. holes. The minus a-in. product moves to a storage silo by bucket

Jan 1, 1948

By Richard M. Foose

Most of the roofing granules produced in Pennsylvania are made by two companies at three plants. The Advance Industrial Supply Co. has three quarries and a mill at Gladhill Station, in southern Adams County. The Funkhouser Company is actively engaged in mining, quarrying and milling at Charmian, about one mile west of Gladhill Station, and at Delta, in southern York County. These three plants produced approximately 100,000 short tons of granules in 1943. The production of rooling granules in 1937 for the whole country was only about 500,000 tons, generally indicating the large growth of the industry since that time. The fundamentals of producing roofing granules were discussed comprehensively by G. W. Josephson in a paper before the Industrial Minerals Division in October 1943 (TP 1725, this volume page 460). The purpose of this paper is to describe the actual methods of mining the rock and milling it to make roofing granules, as practiced by the three Pennsylvania plants. Mining and Milling Funkhouser Company (Delta) The Funkhouser Company, near Delta, in southern York County, Pennsylvania, operates three joined quarries and a mine in the Peach Bottom slate. The joined quarries extend 1200 ft. in a northeast-southwest direction along the strike of the slate cleavage and are about 200 ft. .wide. The working face is about 45 ft. high. The quarrying operation is rather simple: Ingersoll-Rand Jackhamers, I-in. and 1 1/4-in., with hollow drill steel, are used to undercut the quarry face with 10-ft. holes. The face is "blown" and allowed to slump on the quarry floor. Loaded by a Marion electric shovel into trucks, the shattered rock is taken to the primary crusher 2500 ft. away. In addition to the normal quarrying operations, a drift into the northeast wall of the middle quarry was begun about 1935, and has advanced about 2000 ft. since then. Rooms have been driven at angles to the drift along choice beds of slate. The drifts and rooms have a roof more than 35 ft. high and the main drift and rooms are all more than 40 ft. wide. There is no cribbing at any place in the mine. Several of the rooms were driven upward on a 5' slope and in some of them there was stop-ing. Ingersoll-Rand Jackhamers are used, and only wet drilling is practiced. When visited in January 1940, an electric shovel was operating at the head of the drift, scooping up the slate blasted out of the working face. This, too, is trucked to the primary crusher. Some of the better quality slate is saved for making slate shingles. The primary crusher, which is a No. 30 McCulley gyratory, receives the slate from the trucks and crushes it to about a-in. size (Fig. I). This product travels by a 30-in. belt conveyor to Niagara vibrating screens with 2-in. holes. The minus a-in. product moves to a storage silo by bucket

Jan 1, 1948

By Cyril Wells, Paul E. Busby, Donald P. Hart

EARLY workers in the field have established that the diffusion of nitrogen follows normal diffusion laws. Concentration-penetration data from layer analyses of reasonably pure iron specimens nitrided in an atmosphere of CO-NH, are given in the literature,' and were utilized to calculate diffusion constants for nitrogen. The diffusion of nitrogen in y-iron may be represented approximately by the equation D - 1.07x10-' e-:".'m'"'r The diflusion coefficients, D, given by this relation represent mean values, since carburization occurred simultaneously with nitriding. The rate of diffusion in a-iron has been determined from calculations based on data obtained by measuring the internal friction of samples at each of several frequencies and temperatures.' The expression for the diffusion of nitrogen in a-iron derived from these experiments is D= 1.4x10-1 e-it tudent Increasing carbon content decreases the diffusion of nitrogen in a-iron.3 Oxygen, either dissolved or combined, has been shown' to exert a marked influence on the diffusion of nitrogen from a nitriding atmosphere. D values increase rapidly with increasing amount of dissolved oxide in the metal, but diffusion is completely inhibited if preliminary oxidation has produced the slightest trace of iron oxide on the surface. Diffusion coefficients have also been calculated from permeability and solubility data,' but these values are of questionable accuracy since the boundary conditions assumed may not actually exist. Experimental Method The method selected for determining the diffusion coefficient of nitrogen in a-iron in the present investigation was the so-called fractional saturation method. This method consists of heating the specimen in an atmosphere of H2-NH8 mixtures of known composition for a predetermined time. Following this treatment, the specimen is analyzed for nitrogen; and the diffusion coefficient is calculated from a known relationship of the fractional saturation, time of diffusion, and dimensions of the specimen. This relation is based on a solution of Fick's second law and assumes that the surface of the specimen immediately reaches a given concentration which remains constant during the diffusion anneal. Tabular solutions are available4-5 and provide the relationship between fractional saturation and the quantity \/Dt /a, where D is the diffusion coefficient in cm2 per sec, t is the time of the diffusion anneal in seconds, and a, in the present experiments, is the half-thickness of the slab specimen in cm. The method is adequately discussed elsewhere.9-10 Material The material for this study consisted of 3/32 in. thick (0.24 cm) carbonyl iron plate. The major impurities in this iron are oxygen and carbon, which are readily removed by long time high temperature treatment in an atmosphere of purified hydrogen. In order to reduce the diffusion anneal time for saturation runs, some of this material was rolled to a thickness of 0.015 in. (0.038 cm) prior to the hydrogen treatment. Hydrogen treatments were carried out in a hydrogen-purified Armco iron tube heated in a global

Jan 1, 1957

By Arch J. Alexander

Coal is produced, in commercial quantities, in thirty-five of the fifty-five counties of West Virginia. Oil and gas are produced, commercially, in forty-two counties. So, you may readily see that coal, oil and gas arc closely related as to production areas. Many of the West Virginia coal mines are studded with oil and gas wells, as drilling has been done in thirty-two of the coal bearing counties. When the drilling of oil and gas wells was placed under the regulatory control of the Department of Mines on June I, 1929, it was estimated, by the State Geological Survey, that 64,000 wells had been drilled in West Virginia and that 34,000 wells were then being operated as oil and gas producers. No records of many of these remaining 30,000 abandoned wells exist and some of them remain a standing menace to safety as our coal extraction continues. Of a total of 13,100 new wells drilled since June 1929, approximately 5200 have been drilled through coal measures. Approximately 7000 wells, which were drilled through coal measures, have been abandoned in the same period of time. Many of these wells were drilled prior to the enactment of the oil and gas laws. Prior to the enactment of the Oil and Gas Law, which established the Oil and Gas Division of thc Department of Mines in 1929, there had been several mine ex-plosions attributable to cutting into un- charted wells and the improper plugging of other wells. The most serious explosion was that of Mines No. 47 and No. 49 of the Consolidation Coal Co. in Marion Co., when one of the so-called plugged wells leaked or seeped through some 80 ft of strata to the coal bed elevation, filling the mine with gas, the gas being ignited, killing a good many men and wrecking two coal mines. Legislation, to combat well hazards to coal mines, was slow in coming. In 1928, R. M. Lambie, then Chief of the Dept. of Mines, got sufficient support from coal, oil and gas interests to get the legislature to pass our present oil and gas laws. These statutes not only protected the coal industry but went a long way toward conserving the oil and gas resources of our state. Before drilling for oil or gas on any tract of land, known to be underlaid with one or more workable seams of coal, the well operator is required to submit a map of the area showing the location of the proposed well, and to send a copy to the Dept. of Mines and a copy to the coal operator. If no objections to the location of the proposed well are made by the coal operator within ten days, a drilling permit and a number for the well are then issued and work may proceed. If, however, the location of the proposed well is objected to by the coal operator, on the grounds that the location of the well will interfere with present mine operations, projected workings, or otherwise cause a dangerous condition, the operator may file a written objection with the Dept. of Mines.

Jan 1, 1949

By Arch J. Alexander

COAL is produced, in commercial quantities, in thirty-five of the sty-five counties of West Virginia. Oil and gas are produced, commercially, in forty-two counties. So, you may readily see that coal, oil and gas are closely related as to production areas. Many of the West Virginia coal mines are studded with oil and gas wells, as drilling has been done in thirty-two of the coal bearing counties. When the drilling of oil and gas wells was placed under the regulatory control of the Department of Mines on June I, 1929, it was estimated, by the State Geological Survey, that 64,000 wells had been drilled in West Virginia and that 34,mo wells were then being operated as oil and gas producers. No records of many of these remaining 30,000 abandoned wells exist and some of them remain a standing menace to safety as our coal extraction continues. Of a total of 13,100 new wells drilled since June 1929, approximately 5,200 have been drilled through coal measures. Approximately 7,000 wells, which were drilled through coal measures, have been abandoned in the same period of time. Many of these wells were drilled prior to the enactment of the oil and gas laws. Prior to the enactment of the Oil and Gas Law, which established the Oil and Gas Division of the Department of Mines in 1929, there had been several mine explosions attributable to cutting into un- charted wells and the improper plugging of other wells. The most serious explosion was that of Mines No. 47 and No. 49 of the Consolidation Coal Co. in Marion Co., when one of the so-called plugged wells leaked or seeped through some 80 ft of strata to the coal bed elevation, filling the mine with gas, the gas being ignited, killing a good many men and wrecking two coal mines. Legislation, to combat well hazards to coal mines, was slow in coming. In 1928, R. M. Lambie, then Chief of the Dept. of Mines, got sufficient support from coal, oil and gas interests to get the legislature to pass our present oil and gas laws. These statutes not only protected the coal industry but went a long way toward conserving the oil and gas resources of our state. Before drilling for oil or gas on any tract of land, known to be underlaid with one or more workable seams of coal, the well operator is required to submit a map of the area showing the location of the proposed well, and to send a copy to the Dept. of Mines and a copy to the coal operator. If no objections to the location of the proposed well are made by the coal operator within ten days, a drilling permit and a number for the well are then issued and work may proceed. If, however, the location of the proposed well is objected to by the coal operator, on the grounds that the location of the well will interfere with present mine operations, projected workings, or other- wise Cause a dangerous condition, the operator may file a written objection with the Dept. of Mines.

Jan 1, 1948

By Ronald W. Klusman, Erik B. Nelson

The Front Range portion of the Colorado Mineral Belt is an extensive area of mineralization with mining activity dating from 1859 with the discovery of large gold deposits. After an initial boom period and gradual diminishing production, present activity is restricted to molybdenum in Clear Creek County, uranium in Jefferson County, and several small operations extracting gold and silver in Clear Creek and Gilpin Counties. Gold and silver have dominated the production in the Front Range, though the complex mineralization created milling and smelting problems and it is postulated that considerable amounts of precious metals remain in the mine dumps. This area is plagued by a severe mine drainage problem, with Clear Creek most impacted by many draining mines and tailings in the basin. Boyles et al. Moran and Wentz, Wentz, Wildeman et al., have examined various aspects of the impact of mine drain¬age in the Clear Creek basin. The primary objective of this study was to collect data on the tailings, drainages, and leaching experiments in order to make preliminary suggestions for reducing the impact while recovering metal values to offset treatment costs. A variety of leaching experiments were performed on tailings from the Nevada Gulch area in the Central City mining district. Leachings were performed in vertical tubes indoors and wooden boxes exposed to the outside environment. In the leaching experiments, the leaching solution, grain size, and residence times were varied, while forced aeration was used in some experiments. Bacterial nutrient 9K° and mine drainage were used in some of the experiments. A total of 14 additional tailings samples were analyzed for base and precious metals. The composition of the mine drainage and tailings used in the leaching experiments, as well as data on the additional samples are shown in [Table 1]. Leachate samples were taken periodically for analysis until compositions leveled off. Results and Discussion Leaching with distilled water was used as a control and best illustrates the basic behavior of the leaching process for zinc in a vertical tube [(Fig. 1)]. More acidic leachings increased concentrations of metals as did smaller grain sizes, though the time required increased significantly. Mine drainage with its high concentration of dissolved iron sometimes decreased the heavy-metal concentration in the leachate due to oxidation of Fe 2 and precipitation of Fe(OH)9 which absorbs some of the dissolved heavy metals. In the larger scale experiment carried out in the simulated leaching pad, substantial concentrations of metals were attained in the final leachate after one month. In this experiment the leachate was not recycled, but allowed to saturate the tailings continually with evaporation loss made up by additions of Quartz Hill drainage and nutrient 9K. The concentration of the metals in the leachate and the increase over the input solution are given in [Table 2]. Heap leaching of low-grade copper and uranium ores is successfully carried out in many districts, enhanced by the metabolism of autotrophic bacteria of the Thiobacillus-Ferrobacillus group. These ubiquitous organisms enhance metal leaching, and general aspects of heap leaching are discussed by Malouf, Trudinger, Pings, and Duncan et al. Conclusions and Recommendations Returning to the primary objective, how to reduce the mine drainage impact and recover metal values, we need to consider how the data may suggest avenues toward this objective. Boyles, et al., considered various

Jan 1, 1977

By C. A. Hartnagel

During- the past 10 years the annual production of petroleum in New York has averaged close to 5,000,000 bbl., the total for the period being 49,881,000 bbl. In 6 of the 10 years, the production was slightly in excess of the 5,000,000 mark. The 1944 production of 4,697,000 bbl. represents a 7 per cent decline from the previous year. Of the total 1944 output, the Allegany County district, which includes two small areas of Steuben County, contributcd 3,614,065 bbl., a decline of 5 per cent from 1943, and the contribution of Cattaraugus County, which represents the northern extension of the Bradford pool of Pennsylvania into New York was 1,082,935 bbl., a decline of more than 14 per cent. Since March 1942, the posted price of New York crude oil has remained at $3.00 per bbl. On lug. I, 1944, a Federal subsidy of 75¢ per bbl. was granted to oil producers, thus making the price actually $3.75 per bbl. Since all of the oil produced in New York comes under the designation "stripper well operations," it is entitled to the Federal subsidy. During the last few years there has been little change in the number of wells drilled annually. In the Allegany field, which accounts for three fourths of the oil produced in the state, 1240 wells, including water-intake wells, were drilled during 1944 as compared with 1223 in 1943. There was no marked increase in the number of wells drilled after granting the subsidy of 75¢ per bbl. of oil on Aug. I, the increase being but 14 wells during the last half of the year over the preceding six months. In flooding operations it is not to be expected that even a substantial increase in the price of crude oil will be reflected quickly in an increase of the number of wells drilled or in a marked increase in production of crude oil. In flooded areas, oil is obtained through a program extending over a number of years. This program involves the drilling of the water or input pressure wells, drilling of the oil wells, building up the oil flood to maximum production, and finally the watering out of the well when the amount of oil produced in proportion to the water becomes so small that pumping is no longer profitable. The various operations may extend over a period of 10 years or more, during which time the price of crude may have fluctuated greatly. Although the rate of production can be controlled to a limited extent, it is evident that a flood when once begun must be continued regardless of the price of crude. During the past seven years New York crude has had a price range from $1.68 per bbl. in 1938 to the present price of $3.75 per barrel The field pattern now in general use for wells in a flood project is the "five-spot." Under this arrangement, the lease is divided into squares with a water well at each corner and an oil well in the center. In the all-over pattern of the lease each oil well is acted upon by four water wells and each water well supplies part of the pressure to four oil wells. Spacing between the input water wells and the oil wells usually varies from zoo to 225 ft. or, on an acre basis, there is one oil well and one water well for each 2 1/2 acres. In recent years there has been a tendency to increase

Jan 1, 1945

By B. T. Wykoff

This paper describes an important function of mining in Southeast Missouri. The practice is a necessary procedure to prevent disintegration of the pillars. Although the technique is peculiar to this district, it might have application in other mines using room and pillar method. CONSIDERING the subject alone, this paper would cover only a mechanical treatise of pillar roping. Because the St. Joseph Lead Co. originated the practice, it is proper to give a short introduction to the company. It is also proper to describe pillars and discuss their purpose to justify expending large sums of money to preserve them after the surrounding area has been thoroughly mined. Because the St. Joseph Lead Co. originated the practice of back pinning with wedge bolts, patch plates and channel irons, and the pouring of substitute pillars of concrete, these too, are mentioned. The Southeast Missouri Division of the St. Joseph Lead Co. is the largest lead producer in the United States. About 95 pct of the present producing mines are in St. Francois County, which begins 60 miles south of St. Louis. The entire lead ore production of this county, at the present time, is mined and milled by this company, treatment plant capacity being about 22,000 tons per day. This area is also the oldest, lead having been mined at Mine La Motte, in Madison County, in 1723. Estimated production of all the various companies that have mined here is about 7,000,000 short tons of pig lead. Method of Mining The lead occurs in the ore as galena. Galena is found either in the form of disseminated or solid streaks, of varying thickness. Ore stratum is the Bonne Terre dolomite, which is about 350 ft thick, but almost all the ore is in the lower 100 ft. Ore is mined by room and pillar method in open stopes. These stopes vary in height from 7 ft to 200 ft, depending on the thickness of the pay ore in that spot. Back, or roof, is supported entirely by pillars. In a majority of stopes, after the loose scales are mined down, the back has remained solid for many years (fig. 1). Under ideal conditions pillars are spaced to form an equilateral triangle and are as small and as far apart as the height of the stope and the character of the back will permit. They vary in diameter from 10 ft to 50 ft and are from 18 ft to 50 ft apart, measured from the outer edges. In general, the pillars are approximately 12 ft in diameter, and 25 ft apart. The spacing is very uncertain because of the vagaries of the ore trend, the desire to better support breaks in the back, and the attempt to spot out the thinner ore by not placing one in the core of the ore body. Use of Structural Steel Channels In stopes where the back is bad because the overlying formations are thin with wet, weak and shaly

Jan 1, 1951

By B. T. Wykoff

This paper describes an important function of mining in Southeast Missouri. The practice is a necessary procedure to prevent disintegration of the pillars. Although the technique is peculiar to this district, it might have application in other mines using room and pillar method. CONSIDERING the subject alone, this paper would cover only a mechanical treatise of pillar roping. Because the St. Joseph Lead Co. originated the practice, it is proper to give a short introduction to the company. It is also proper to describe pillars and discuss their purpose to justify expending large sums of money to preserve them after the surrounding area has been thoroughly mined. Because the St. Joseph Lead Co. originated the practice of back pinning with wedge bolts, patch plates and channel irons, and the pouring of substitute pillars of concrete, these too, are mentioned. The Southeast Missouri Division of the St. Joseph Lead Co. is the largest lead producer in the United States. About 95 pct of the present producing mines are in St. Francois County, which begins 60 miles south of St. Louis. The entire lead ore production of this county, at the present time, is mined and milled by this company, treatment plant capacity being about 22,000 tons per day. This area is also the oldest, lead having been mined at Mine La Motte, in Madison County, in 1723. Estimated production of all the various companies that have mined here is about 7,000,000 short tons of pig lead. Method of Mining The lead occurs in the ore as galena. Galena is found either in the form of disseminated or solid streaks, of varying thickness. Ore stratum is the Bonne Terre dolomite, which is about 350 ft thick, but almost all the ore is in the lower 100 ft. Ore is mined by room and pillar method in open stopes. These stopes vary in height from 7 ft to 200 ft, depending on the thickness of the pay ore in that spot. Back, or roof, is supported entirely by pillars. In a majority of stopes, after the loose scales are mined down, the back has remained solid for many years (fig. 1). Under ideal conditions pillars are spaced to form an equilateral triangle and are as small and as far apart as the height of the stope and the character of the back will permit. They vary in diameter from 10 ft to 50 ft and are from 18 ft to 50 ft apart, measured from the outer edges. In general, the pillars are approximately 12 ft in diameter, and 25 ft apart. The spacing is very uncertain because of the vagaries of the ore trend, the desire to better support breaks in the back, and the attempt to spot out the thinner ore by not placing one in the core of the ore body. Use of Structural Steel Channels In stopes where the back is bad because the overlying formations are thin with wet, weak and shaly

Jan 1, 1951

By A. E. Nash

This title is somewhat of a misnomer, because it does not accurately describe the phase of heat generation and application coming within the scope of this discussion. This paper is concerned primarily with that particular phase of radiant-heat transfer sometimes erroneously referred to as "shielded" radiant heat, to differentiate it from the open radiant heat of either flame or settings, in which the actual source of the radiant heat is a small incandescent furnace composed of a highly conductive superrefractory, within whose walls the combustion of the fuel is completed. This small furnace is usually located directly in the furnace proper, and although its refractory walls do shield the heat-absorbing surfaces from contact with the gases of combustion, there is no interference with the radiant heat given off by the furnace itself. We do not believe it either necessary or advisable to shield or screen radiant heat when properly controlled and applied. We do believe it essential to prevent the excessively hot gases of combustion from coming in contact with those parts of the heat-absorbing structure that are already receiving heat at high rates by radiation. In connection with any process for the refining of oil with which we are familiar, we are convinced that it is most advantageous to transfer the maximum of the heat generated in the form of radiant heat, applied directly to the heat-absorbing surfaces without the interposition of any form of shield or screen to prevent or reduce the radiant-heat transfer. While the term radiant heat is broadly used to cover all heat energy transferred from one body to another by radiation, in contradistinction to heat given up by gases in direct contact with the heat-absorbing structure (convection) or transmitted simply by conduction, in furnace work it is perhaps more often limited to the heat rays given off either by

Jan 1, 1928

By C. E. Shoenfelt

There was a notable decrease in drilling operations in 1940 in all of the Rocky Mountain states except Montana, where the two large fields on the Canadian border, Cut Bank and Kevin-Sunburst, were espe-cially active. The expanding markets for Montana natural gas made necessary the more intensive development of such fields as Rowdoin, Cedar Creek and Devon. While there were no important oil and gas discoveries in 1940 in any of the Rocky Mountain states, a few small pools were opened, which may constitute separate areas but may prove with later development to be extensions of old fields. Some of the old fields were extended and deeper pay zones were discovered in others. These have given the areas greatly increased oil reserves and therefore are just as important as the discovery of new fields. The more important of the developments in 1940 are given, by states, in the following paragraphs. Colorado Hiawatha Field, Moffat County.—The Mountain Fuel Supply Co. began the development at Hiawatha of its oil reserves, which were discovered in about 1929, and late in the summer oil began moving from the field by truck to the shipping point at Rock Springs, Wyoming. The Hiawatha field of northwestern Moffat County was discovered in 1927 by the Sormir Petroleum Co., with the completion of No. r Florence Wilson for 4,5,000,000 cu. ft. of gas a day from a Wasatch sand lens at 2200 it. In later development of the field, oil showings were reported in several wells but no development of this resource was undertaken until 1940, when a test of the oil possibilities was started with the release in April of a location for No. 5-A Wilson on the S\W. SW. NW. of sec. 23-1zN-1ooW., on the east side of the field. The Well had an initial production of 327 bbl. of oil a day pumping from three Wasatch (Tertiary) sands between 2005 and 2540 ft. It was drilled to 2562 ft., where the 65/8-in. casing was cemented and gun-perforated at 2005 to 2125 ft., 2260 to 2335 ft. and 2513 to 2540 ft. At the end of the year, this well was averaging zoo bbl. of oil per day, pumping. Two other wells were drilled for oil on Hiawatha during the summer—one a small well of 60 bbl. per day and the other a small gas well. Powder Wash Field, Moffat County.—The development of the Powder Wash field in northwestern Colorado was resumed in 1940 by the Mountain Fuel Supply Co., with the release of a location for No. 2-A Musser in the CWL.NW.SE. of sec. 4-1rN-97W. The Powder Wash field was discovered in 1931 by the Mountain Fuel Supply Co. and the discovery well, No. I Musser, on C.NW. of sec. 5-IIN-97W., was completed at 2152 ft. in the Hiawatha member of the nonmarine Wasatch for-mation for an open flow of 34,000,000 cu. ft. of gas per day under a natural pressure of 685 lb. per sq. inch. Oil was discovered in the Powder Wash field on Nov. 26, 1936, in the company's No. I Carl Allen on the NE.SW.SE. of sec. 32-12N-97W. The oil production was

Jan 1, 1941

By C. E. Shoenfelt

There was a notable decrease in drilling operations in 1940 in all of the Rocky Mountain states except Montana, where the two large fields on the Canadian border, Cut Bank and Kevin-Sunburst, were espe-cially active. The expanding markets for Montana natural gas made necessary the more intensive development of such fields as Rowdoin, Cedar Creek and Devon. While there were no important oil and gas discoveries in 1940 in any of the Rocky Mountain states, a few small pools were opened, which may constitute separate areas but may prove with later development to be extensions of old fields. Some of the old fields were extended and deeper pay zones were discovered in others. These have given the areas greatly increased oil reserves and therefore are just as important as the discovery of new fields. The more important of the developments in 1940 are given, by states, in the following paragraphs. Colorado Hiawatha Field, Moffat County.—The Mountain Fuel Supply Co. began the development at Hiawatha of its oil reserves, which were discovered in about 1929, and late in the summer oil began moving from the field by truck to the shipping point at Rock Springs, Wyoming. The Hiawatha field of northwestern Moffat County was discovered in 1927 by the Sormir Petroleum Co., with the completion of No. r Florence Wilson for 4,5,000,000 cu. ft. of gas a day from a Wasatch sand lens at 2200 it. In later development of the field, oil showings were reported in several wells but no development of this resource was undertaken until 1940, when a test of the oil possibilities was started with the release in April of a location for No. 5-A Wilson on the S\W. SW. NW. of sec. 23-1zN-1ooW., on the east side of the field. The Well had an initial production of 327 bbl. of oil a day pumping from three Wasatch (Tertiary) sands between 2005 and 2540 ft. It was drilled to 2562 ft., where the 65/8-in. casing was cemented and gun-perforated at 2005 to 2125 ft., 2260 to 2335 ft. and 2513 to 2540 ft. At the end of the year, this well was averaging zoo bbl. of oil per day, pumping. Two other wells were drilled for oil on Hiawatha during the summer—one a small well of 60 bbl. per day and the other a small gas well. Powder Wash Field, Moffat County.—The development of the Powder Wash field in northwestern Colorado was resumed in 1940 by the Mountain Fuel Supply Co., with the release of a location for No. 2-A Musser in the CWL.NW.SE. of sec. 4-1rN-97W. The Powder Wash field was discovered in 1931 by the Mountain Fuel Supply Co. and the discovery well, No. I Musser, on C.NW. of sec. 5-IIN-97W., was completed at 2152 ft. in the Hiawatha member of the nonmarine Wasatch for-mation for an open flow of 34,000,000 cu. ft. of gas per day under a natural pressure of 685 lb. per sq. inch. Oil was discovered in the Powder Wash field on Nov. 26, 1936, in the company's No. I Carl Allen on the NE.SW.SE. of sec. 32-12N-97W. The oil production was

Jan 1, 1941

By C. S. Yust, J. W. Smith, J. R. Walsh, R. E. Simpson

This paper presents the results of a complete reservoir studv designed to determine a sound economic program for the conservation of oil and gas in the Pickton field, Hopkins County, Texas. The Pickton field produces from the Bacon Lime with all indications of the study being that production is predominately by dissolved-gas drive. Calculations of the total ultimate recovery to be expected under primary operations indicated only 16.7 per cent of the oil originally in place would be recovered. This unusually low recovery is due to the type of drive operating and the extremely high dissolved gas-oil ratio and shrinkage. Results are presented for six plans of returning gas to the reservoir, evaluated to determine (1) comparative recoveries and economics of (a) returning gas at a constant rate by supplementing Pickton gas with extraneous gas during the early portion of the operation, and (b) conventional gas-return operations without using extraneous gas, and (2) the optimum size of compressor plant for each type of pressure maintenance. The over-all economic program considers, for either type pressure maintenance operation. a gasoline plant to process the unusually rich casinghead gas. Since pressure maintenance will disturb equities, pooling of royalties is in the case of Pickton a prerequisite to conservation of oil by this type of operation, both from an economic and legal standpoint. In the event pooling of royalties cannot be achieved, the study considers a gasoline plant to operate under a modified primary production operation which will make the conservation of gas possible. INTRODUCTION The Pickton field, located in Hopkins County, Texas. was discovered in November, 1944. by the completion of Humble's C. D. Nichols 1, in the Bacon lime of the Lower Glen Rose formation, through perforations from 7,888 to 7.896 feet. The well initially produced 50.2 API gravity oil with a gas-oil ratio of 1,350 cubic feet per barrel. Subsurface samples of the reservoir fluid obtained soon after completion of the discovery well showed that the Pickton crude is unique in that it has an extremely high dissolved gas-oil ratio and is subject to very severe shrinkage. Calculations of the future behavior of the Pickton reservoir indicated that ultimate oil recovery by primary operations would be 3,269,000 barrels, representing only 16.7 per cent of the oil in place (19,577,000 stock-tank barrels), and that recovery could be substantially increased by returning the produced gas. The cumulative production of 1,382,694 barrels on November 1: 1947, amounted to 42.3 per cent of the estimated ultimate oil recovery from primary operations. The purpose of this study is to determine and evaluate the optimum program for conservation of oil and gas in the Pick-ton field, including the desirability of conducting gas-return operations and of installing a gasoline plant. LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION Pickton Field, The Pickton field, as shown in Fig. 1, is located in southwest Hopkins County, Texas, 12.5 miles southwest of the New Hope field, 2.7 miles northeast of the Coke field, 16 miles southwest of Sulphur Springs, and 8 miles northwest of Winnsboro, Texas.

Jan 1, 1949

By C. S. Yust, J. W. Smith, J. R. Walsh, R. E. Simpson

This paper presents the results of a complete reservoir studv designed to determine a sound economic program for the conservation of oil and gas in the Pickton field, Hopkins County, Texas. The Pickton field produces from the Bacon Lime with all indications of the study being that production is predominately by dissolved-gas drive. Calculations of the total ultimate recovery to be expected under primary operations indicated only 16.7 per cent of the oil originally in place would be recovered. This unusually low recovery is due to the type of drive operating and the extremely high dissolved gas-oil ratio and shrinkage. Results are presented for six plans of returning gas to the reservoir, evaluated to determine (1) comparative recoveries and economics of (a) returning gas at a constant rate by supplementing Pickton gas with extraneous gas during the early portion of the operation, and (b) conventional gas-return operations without using extraneous gas, and (2) the optimum size of compressor plant for each type of pressure maintenance. The over-all economic program considers, for either type pressure maintenance operation. a gasoline plant to process the unusually rich casinghead gas. Since pressure maintenance will disturb equities, pooling of royalties is in the case of Pickton a prerequisite to conservation of oil by this type of operation, both from an economic and legal standpoint. In the event pooling of royalties cannot be achieved, the study considers a gasoline plant to operate under a modified primary production operation which will make the conservation of gas possible. INTRODUCTION The Pickton field, located in Hopkins County, Texas. was discovered in November, 1944. by the completion of Humble's C. D. Nichols 1, in the Bacon lime of the Lower Glen Rose formation, through perforations from 7,888 to 7.896 feet. The well initially produced 50.2 API gravity oil with a gas-oil ratio of 1,350 cubic feet per barrel. Subsurface samples of the reservoir fluid obtained soon after completion of the discovery well showed that the Pickton crude is unique in that it has an extremely high dissolved gas-oil ratio and is subject to very severe shrinkage. Calculations of the future behavior of the Pickton reservoir indicated that ultimate oil recovery by primary operations would be 3,269,000 barrels, representing only 16.7 per cent of the oil in place (19,577,000 stock-tank barrels), and that recovery could be substantially increased by returning the produced gas. The cumulative production of 1,382,694 barrels on November 1: 1947, amounted to 42.3 per cent of the estimated ultimate oil recovery from primary operations. The purpose of this study is to determine and evaluate the optimum program for conservation of oil and gas in the Pick-ton field, including the desirability of conducting gas-return operations and of installing a gasoline plant. LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION Pickton Field, The Pickton field, as shown in Fig. 1, is located in southwest Hopkins County, Texas, 12.5 miles southwest of the New Hope field, 2.7 miles northeast of the Coke field, 16 miles southwest of Sulphur Springs, and 8 miles northwest of Winnsboro, Texas.

Jan 1, 1949

By John Griffen, David H. Davis

Much of the ground to be covered by this paper was ably covered by a paper presented by Messrs. Morrow and Jordan1 before a joint meeting of the Iron and Steel Section of the Engineers Society of West-ern Pennsylvania and the A.I.M.E. Pitts-burgh Section at Pittsburgh in the spring of 1940. As that paper was not published, the present authors have availed them-selves of Mr. Morrow's kind permission to use information given therein. Similar figures for the latest years available have been added to many statistics originally presented. It is unfortunate that Mr. Jordan's death removes his stimulating guidance and help, which the authors would have welcomed and have found invaluable in the past. One interested in the Pittsburgh seam should not fail to read the exhaustive and authoritative paper by Eavenson2 presented in 1938. As Allegheny, Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties contain practically all the reserves and furnish nearly all of the production from the Pittsburgh seam in Pennsylvania at the present time, this area only is intended when reference is made to the Pittsburgh seam in Pennsylvania. On much of the seam in Greene and Washington Counties, which contain a large proportion of the total reserves, insufficient data are available to determine the detailed characteristics of the seam with any degree of finality. It is hoped that the data presented here will fairly well indicate the probable characteristics. Economic Importance of the Pittsburgh Seam The Pittsburgh seam in Pennsylvania is of primary importance as a coal resource, not only because of its substantial reserves but because it contributes such a large proportion of the coal used in the country and an even larger proportion of that used in the manufacture of coke. Mr. Ashley3 placed the estimated recoverable reserves (1935) of the Pittsburgh coal bed in Pennsylvania at 7,500,000,000 tons.* Although a considerable portion of this tonnage is not now suitable for coking coal, because of its high sulphur content, undoubtedly the supply of coking coal will last for many years and that not suitable for coking will furnish industry with an ample supply of energy. In attempting to assess the contribution of the Pittsburgh seam to total coal production and to that of coal used in making coke, one finds that the statistics published annually by the U. S. Bureau of Mines, Minerals Yearbook, do not give tonnages classified as to seams but only as to districts or states and counties. However, it happens that, at present and during much of the

Jan 1, 1944

By David H. Davis, John Griffen

Much of the ground to be covered by this paper was ably covered by a paper presented by Messrs. Morrow and Jordan1 before a joint meeting of the Iron and Steel Section of the Engineers Society of West-ern Pennsylvania and the A.I.M.E. Pitts-burgh Section at Pittsburgh in the spring of 1940. As that paper was not published, the present authors have availed them-selves of Mr. Morrow's kind permission to use information given therein. Similar figures for the latest years available have been added to many statistics originally presented. It is unfortunate that Mr. Jordan's death removes his stimulating guidance and help, which the authors would have welcomed and have found invaluable in the past. One interested in the Pittsburgh seam should not fail to read the exhaustive and authoritative paper by Eavenson2 presented in 1938. As Allegheny, Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland Counties contain practically all the reserves and furnish nearly all of the production from the Pittsburgh seam in Pennsylvania at the present time, this area only is intended when reference is made to the Pittsburgh seam in Pennsylvania. On much of the seam in Greene and Washington Counties, which contain a large proportion of the total reserves, insufficient data are available to determine the detailed characteristics of the seam with any degree of finality. It is hoped that the data presented here will fairly well indicate the probable characteristics. Economic Importance of the Pittsburgh Seam The Pittsburgh seam in Pennsylvania is of primary importance as a coal resource, not only because of its substantial reserves but because it contributes such a large proportion of the coal used in the country and an even larger proportion of that used in the manufacture of coke. Mr. Ashley3 placed the estimated recoverable reserves (1935) of the Pittsburgh coal bed in Pennsylvania at 7,500,000,000 tons.* Although a considerable portion of this tonnage is not now suitable for coking coal, because of its high sulphur content, undoubtedly the supply of coking coal will last for many years and that not suitable for coking will furnish industry with an ample supply of energy. In attempting to assess the contribution of the Pittsburgh seam to total coal production and to that of coal used in making coke, one finds that the statistics published annually by the U. S. Bureau of Mines, Minerals Yearbook, do not give tonnages classified as to seams but only as to districts or states and counties. However, it happens that, at present and during much of the

Jan 1, 1944