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By A. H. Redfield

BITUMENS have been defined by Abraham1 as substances of variable color, hardness, and volatility; composed principally of 'saturated hydrocarbons, substantially free from oxygenated bodies, sometimes associated with mineral matter; the nonmineral constituents being fusible and largely soluble in carbon disulphide. The principal bituminous substances other than petroleums known to commerce are: (1) native asphaltites, such as gilsonite, grahamite, and glance pitch, distinguished by their hardness and relatively high fusing point; (2) native asphaltic pyrobitumens, such as wurtzilite, distinguished by their infusibility and comparative insolubility in carbon disulphide; (3) mineral waxes, such as ozokerite, distinguished by their high content of crystallizable paraffins; (4) native asphalts, containing varying amouqts of mineral matter, distinguished by the comparative absence of crystallizable paraffins; and (5) bituminous residues obtained from the distillation of petroleum. GILSONITE Gilsonite, a black native asphaltite 98 to 99.9 pct pure, characterized by a hardness of 2 (Mohs), a specific gravity of 1.01 to 1.10, and melting point of 230° to 400°F (K and S), is mined commercially only in northeastern Utah. It occurs in parallel, almost vertical veins, from a few inches to 18 ft wide and 8 to 30 miles long, that cut across the Tertiary limestone and shale of the broad Uinta Basin. The bitumen is believed to have been distilled by heat from oily material in the underlying Green River shale. At the Rainbow mine of the American Gilsonite CO.,† the gilsonite, formerly extracted in an opencut by a system of slopes and benches, is now mined by shafts and horizontal drifts. Little timbering is required. The mining methods of the Raven Mining Co., Chicago, and of the American Asphalt Association and the Utah Gilsonite Co., both of

Jan 1, 1949

By R. Agarwal, S. Boshkov, M. T. Wane

The majority of the work done in the field of rock mechanics uses as a basis for analysis the classical linear theory of elasticity. Most workers in rock mechanics realize that removing the assumptions of homogeneity and isotropicity will bring the analysis of stress-strain relationships for geologic materials closer to reality. However, the algebra involved in reducing these restrictions is usually heavy. It is the purpose of this paper to relax the condition of isotropicity to that of orthotropicity and examine the sensitivity of this change for some simple geometries. In addition some necessary relationships between stress and strain for orthotropic materials will be developed. The recent years have seen an increasing interest in the field of rock mechanics. This is amply demonstrated by the number of articles appearing in the technical literature. The majority of these articles use as a basis for analysis the classical linear theory of elasticity. In addition, the assumptions that the material under consideration is elastically homogeneous and isotropic reduce the number of constants necessary to write an analytical relationship between stress and strain to two, e.g., Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. Most workers in the area of rock mechanics realize that removing the conditions of homogeneity and isotropicity will bring the analysis of stress-strain relationship for geologic materials closer to reality. However, the algebra involved in analysis without imposing these restrictions is usually heavy. It is the purpose of this paper to relax the condition of isotropicity to that of orthotropicity and examine the sensitivity of this change on stress concentration for some simple geometries. In addition, it is shown that the expression for maximum stress concentration for some simple geometries considered can be further simplified if further assumptions are made. The maximum stress concentration, under these additional simplifying assumptions, is shown graphical1y. In the linear theory of elasticity, generalized Hooke's law assumes the following form

Jan 1, 1965

By Shiou-Chuan Sun

Most previous work on sedimentation of coal1 and mineral2,3 suspensions has been conducted in graduated 1-liter glass cylinders of 6-cm diam. With this type of large container it is often difficult to see through the suspension and tedious to perform a large number of tests. Furthermore, the heavy glass walls and the graduation lines of glass cylinders cause internal and stray reflections, respectively. To obviate these difficulties, an Atlab Emulsion Viewer from Arthur H. Thomas Co. was adopted as an alternative apparatus. Equipment: The viewer,4 shown in Fig. 1, consists of: 1) a stainless steel frame rack holding 21 flat-bottom Nessler tubes or an ungraduated replica 1.64 cm ID and 1.80 cm OD, 2) a movable masked 150-w lumaline lamp behind the tubes, and 3) a scaled glass panel with 100 vertical divisions in front of the tubes. The tubes are snugly held by springs in slots formed by spacer bars, which also serve as shields to eliminate stray light. The lumaline lamp is mounted behind a slit in a movable housing so that it can be positioned behind the suspension to be examined. The lowest or 100-division line on the front glass plate is leveled with the upper side of the bottom of all tubes. The scaled portion of each tube, roughly 19 cm high and 40 ml in volume, is used to study coal and mineral suspensions.

Jan 1, 1959

By J. V. Richards

The Altar district, State of Sonora, Mexico, is for the most part a desert with but little rain-fall and few running streams. On account of this scarcity of water it is necessary for the natives to " dry-wash" the placer-gravel, and the object of the present gaper is to describe some of the more commoil Mexican dry-mashing devices. My observations were confined to a property known as Las Palomas placers, 15 miles from the Gulf of California and about 150 miles south of the United States border; a brief description of which property may be of interest as illustrating what is, perhaps, a typical Sonora dry placer. It is said that as long as a century ago the Yaqui Indians discovered rich cement-gravel, known as argo masa, at Las Palomas, and that there has been a more or less steady production of gold from the property ever since. The argo masa, is a fairly-coarse gravel, the pebbles being quite firmly held together with a lime cement. Gold is scattered through this cement in particles ranging from fine specks to pieces several grams in weight, and occasional large nuggets are encountered. The contents vary so widely that it is difficult to estimate the average value, but returns of from $10 to $50 per cubic yard are common, and it is doubtful if the Indians considered anything less than from $4 to $5 a yard as "pay dirt.'' This ar-90 masa, occurs in channels varying in thickness from a few inches to several feet, and in width up to 300 ft. These channels are continuous and are probably ancient stream-beds. They are for the most part covered with an over-burden of a more recent gravel, varying from 30 to 50 ft. thick, and the fact that this over-burden contains values as high as $1.50 per cubic yard, and yet was not worked by the Indians, shows that their idea of what constituted mas high.

Jan 1, 1911

By E. E. Russell Tratman

The use of dynamite in cold weather is attended with some difficulty, owing to the freezing of the material and its consequeut liability to fail to explode when the fuse is fired. With proper methods and care the dynamite can be thawed with reasonable safety, but numerous accidents occur (more than get reported in the public press), due to carelessness in the operation and to the treacherous nature of the material, or a combination of both conditions. Dynamite will stand treatment at one time which at another time will result in explosion. An expert on explosives says that the most dangerous means of thawing cartridges are ingeniously devised by ignorant laborers; baking, boiling and toasting being favorite methods, while at a stone-quarry, in one instance, an apparatus was arranged for steaming the cartridges over a pot of boiling water. In this latter case the nitro-glycerine leaked through the canvas cover and settled on the bottom of the pot, with the result that an explosion occurred, the water acting as a tamping to the charge. The fact that small quantities of explosives containing nitroglycerine will burn quietly and without explosion if ignited by direct contact with a flame, has led to the dangerously mistaken reasoning that merely heating the explosive can produce no ill effect. If . a dynamite cartridge is ignited or placed in a fire it will probably burn harmlessly away, but if placed on a stove or in an oven and

Jan 1, 1893

By W. E. Stiles

A method is presented for predicting the performance of water flooding operations in depleted, or nearly depleted, petroleum reservoirs. The method makes use of permeability variations and the vertical distribution of productive capacity. From these two parameters can be calculated the produced water cut versus the oil recovery. Derivations of the mathematical analogy is shown and sample calculations and curves of prediction are presented. Comparison is made of the predicted and actual performance of a typical 5-spot in an Illinois water flood. INTRODUCTION The use of water as a flooding medium in both depleted and "flush" oil reservoirs is gaining greater recognition and acceptance. Many of the shallower fields, depleted by primary production, have been and are being subjected to water injection in order to obtain some part of the large volume of oil remaining after primary production. Some of the earlier water flood installation proved highly discouraging and the value of water flooding was often questioned. Many of these earlier floods were haphazardly selected and developed as little was known of the physical characteristics and contents of the producing formations. The prior evaluation of the flood performance was impossible. During the past decade the development of the required reservoir engineering tools-—core analysis, reservoir fluid analysis, electric logs, fluid flow formulae, etc.—has allowed the engineer to construct and apply the methods which are presently being used to evaluate the economic and mechanical susceptibility of a reservoir to flooding. This discussion will present a method for taking into account the effect of permeability variations in predicting the performance of water floods in depleted reservoirs. PERMEABILITY AND CAPACITY DISTRIBUTION It is generally agreed by most investigators that in a single phase system fluid will flow in a porous and permeable medium in proportion to the permeability of the medium. Producing formations are usually highly irregular in permeability, both vertically and horizontally. However, zones of higher or lower permeability are often found to exhibit lateral continuity. Thus, while structurally comparable stringers in adjacent wells may differ several fold in permeability values, they usually bear resemblance as being part of a general continuous higher or lower permeability section. It is generally agreed that where such stratification of permeability exists, injected water sweeps first the zones of higher permeability, and it is in these zones that "break-through" first occurs in the producing well. It is a basic assurnption of the presently described method that penetration of a water front follows the individual permeability variations as if such variations were continuous from input to producing well. This is admittedly not rigorously true, but can be justified as making possible a simplifying mathematical approach to an otherwise extremely complicated three dimensional flow problem. As a basis for study of the lateral flow of fluids in formations of irregular permeability, the irregularities may be conveniently represented by a permeability distribution curve and a capacity distribution curve. In obtaining these curves, the permeability values, regardless of their structural position in the formation, are rearranged in order of decreasing permeability. If these permeability values so arranged are plotted against the cumulative thickness, a permeability distribu- tion curve is obtained. This curve may then be likened to a "smoothed" permeability profile of the formation. In making comparison between different distribution curves it is convenient to state the permeabilities in terms of the ratio of the actual permeability values to the average permeability of the formation. These ratios termed "dimensionless permeabilities", are used in this paper rather than the permeabilities in terms of millidarcys. The capacity distribution curve is a lot of the cumulative capacity (starting with the highest permeabilities) versus the cumulative thickness. The capacity and thickness are given as fractions of the total capacity and thickness. Mathematically, the capacity distribution is the intergration of the permeability distribution curve. In practice it is convenient to first obtain the capacity distribution curve and derive from it a smoothed dimen-sionaless permeability curve. The method of obtaining the capacity distribution curve is illustrated in the successive column of Table 1, in which capacity and thickness are derived as fractions of their respective totals. If only a small number of permeability values are available, it is generally desirable to smooth the resultant curve. This has been done to give the capacity distribution curve shown in Figure 1. The differentiation of the capacity distribution curve to obtain the permeability distribution curve is shown in Table 2. Here, the capacity values are read from the smoothed curve at intervals of cumulative thickness, and the increments of capacity are divided by the increments of thickness to obtain the dimensionless permeability, K. Due to this stepwise procedure of calculation these premeability values must be plotted at the midpoints of the successive increments of thickness. The curve so obtained from these data is shown in Figure 1. The total area under the K' curve is equal to unity.

Jan 1, 1949

By W. E. Stiles

A method is presented for predicting the performance of water flooding operations in depleted, or nearly depleted, petroleum reservoirs. The method makes use of permeability variations and the vertical distribution of productive capacity. From these two parameters can be calculated the produced water cut versus the oil recovery. Derivations of the mathematical analogy is shown and sample calculations and curves of prediction are presented. Comparison is made of the predicted and actual performance of a typical 5-spot in an Illinois water flood. INTRODUCTION The use of water as a flooding medium in both depleted and "flush" oil reservoirs is gaining greater recognition and acceptance. Many of the shallower fields, depleted by primary production, have been and are being subjected to water injection in order to obtain some part of the large volume of oil remaining after primary production. Some of the earlier water flood installation proved highly discouraging and the value of water flooding was often questioned. Many of these earlier floods were haphazardly selected and developed as little was known of the physical characteristics and contents of the producing formations. The prior evaluation of the flood performance was impossible. During the past decade the development of the required reservoir engineering tools-—core analysis, reservoir fluid analysis, electric logs, fluid flow formulae, etc.—has allowed the engineer to construct and apply the methods which are presently being used to evaluate the economic and mechanical susceptibility of a reservoir to flooding. This discussion will present a method for taking into account the effect of permeability variations in predicting the performance of water floods in depleted reservoirs. PERMEABILITY AND CAPACITY DISTRIBUTION It is generally agreed by most investigators that in a single phase system fluid will flow in a porous and permeable medium in proportion to the permeability of the medium. Producing formations are usually highly irregular in permeability, both vertically and horizontally. However, zones of higher or lower permeability are often found to exhibit lateral continuity. Thus, while structurally comparable stringers in adjacent wells may differ several fold in permeability values, they usually bear resemblance as being part of a general continuous higher or lower permeability section. It is generally agreed that where such stratification of permeability exists, injected water sweeps first the zones of higher permeability, and it is in these zones that "break-through" first occurs in the producing well. It is a basic assurnption of the presently described method that penetration of a water front follows the individual permeability variations as if such variations were continuous from input to producing well. This is admittedly not rigorously true, but can be justified as making possible a simplifying mathematical approach to an otherwise extremely complicated three dimensional flow problem. As a basis for study of the lateral flow of fluids in formations of irregular permeability, the irregularities may be conveniently represented by a permeability distribution curve and a capacity distribution curve. In obtaining these curves, the permeability values, regardless of their structural position in the formation, are rearranged in order of decreasing permeability. If these permeability values so arranged are plotted against the cumulative thickness, a permeability distribu- tion curve is obtained. This curve may then be likened to a "smoothed" permeability profile of the formation. In making comparison between different distribution curves it is convenient to state the permeabilities in terms of the ratio of the actual permeability values to the average permeability of the formation. These ratios termed "dimensionless permeabilities", are used in this paper rather than the permeabilities in terms of millidarcys. The capacity distribution curve is a lot of the cumulative capacity (starting with the highest permeabilities) versus the cumulative thickness. The capacity and thickness are given as fractions of the total capacity and thickness. Mathematically, the capacity distribution is the intergration of the permeability distribution curve. In practice it is convenient to first obtain the capacity distribution curve and derive from it a smoothed dimen-sionaless permeability curve. The method of obtaining the capacity distribution curve is illustrated in the successive column of Table 1, in which capacity and thickness are derived as fractions of their respective totals. If only a small number of permeability values are available, it is generally desirable to smooth the resultant curve. This has been done to give the capacity distribution curve shown in Figure 1. The differentiation of the capacity distribution curve to obtain the permeability distribution curve is shown in Table 2. Here, the capacity values are read from the smoothed curve at intervals of cumulative thickness, and the increments of capacity are divided by the increments of thickness to obtain the dimensionless permeability, K. Due to this stepwise procedure of calculation these premeability values must be plotted at the midpoints of the successive increments of thickness. The curve so obtained from these data is shown in Figure 1. The total area under the K' curve is equal to unity.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. E. H. Pomeroy

EARLY in 1917, it became evident, owing to existing and pending market conditions, that a substitute for crude petroleum must be found for firing the smelter furnaces. After a review of the plants then existing, it was deemed advisable to depart from their practice and to adopt the following described system of distributing pulverized coal to the furnaces. The principal advantages of the proposed system, which influenced this decision, were: (1) Equal safety; no pulverized coal is stored at the furnaces; (2) greater ease of operation, furnace fires being controlled by regulating valves in burner branches, as in gas firing; (3) better organization; all machinery, including pulverized coal feed, is under one roof, and the organization is separate from the furnace department; (4) greater cleanliness; all machinery is under vacuum; (5) greater flexibility of application; the coal and air mixture can be piped where needed. The design of the plant is the result of the combined efforts of the local engineering staff and of the machinery manufacturers. Many new features were embodied in this design to insure greater safety, cleanliness, and efficiency of handling. After 14 months of continuous operation, the plant has proved entirely satisfactory. The building is of structural steel, covered with corrugated steel, with many windows and is painted light gray inside and out. The building floor is of concrete with ample drains to the sewer, and the building is equipped with fire and service water piping. Fig. 1 shows the east side of the building and the incline conveyor from the raw-coal bins.

Jan 2, 1920

By AIME AIME

AN unusual interest in the question of orienting the young college man in the mineral industry was shown in a well-attended session* of the Engineering Education Committee on Monday afternoon. About seventy-five employers and educators of mining engineers were present and took part in the discussions.

Jan 1, 1929

OF THE many categories into which scientific knowledge has been arbitrarily divided, the one which has proved most applicable in our attempts to gain an insight into the details of steelmaking processes is physical chemistry. To the young metallurgist who has only recently survived a college course in this subject, the application of its principles to reactions in liquid steel should not be difficult. To one who has had no such course or whose auld acquaintance with the subject has all but been forgot, such application is all too often thwarted by the abstruse presentations of the subject found in many of the available textbooks. AS a tool for the control of a complex process involving many chemical reactions, physical chemistry can become very valuable. The specialist who is using this tool for many purposes and perhaps contributing to its development will want to know a great deal more about it than can be included in this book. He will be interested in its history, its accomplishments and limitations, and its applications to many and varied problems. To the steelmaker or metallurgist, however, it is only one of a number of tools that he must use. He is willing to forego the detailed study of its inner workings in order to concentrate upon the development of skill in its application. It is the purpose of this chapter to present a simplified view of physical chemistry as a tool of great potential usefulness. This purpose and the desire for brevity have required the elimination of many of the gadgets with which the tool is usually adorned. It is hoped that this simplification will be conducive to clear understanding. The beginner is urged not to overlook the more extended treatments of the standard textbooks.* He is assured at the same time that the basic tool is sound and serviceable and is guaranteed to give satisfaction if regularly lubricated with common sense. Certain parts of physical chemistry require rather formidable mathematics for their complete development, but in the main those applications in which we are here interested can be expressed in fairly

Jan 1, 1944

By Herbert Hoover

DURING the year, the' Institute has made the most remarkable growth in its history. Our actual increase in membership was 1816 and therefore was 80 per cent. larger than any previous year. Even without expectation of any abnormal growth, we should pass in the year 1921 the 10;000 mark. The causes of this increased growth are not far to seek.. They lie in the widening vision of the Institute's work, not only in its relation to' the profession but as an avenue of service to the nation as a whole. The Institute is today in the first rank of influence among public institutions in the country. During this year we have, for the first time in many years, had a ?deficit of some $3000 in our finances. The sum is not important, but it- does indicate the tendency of the times, and that is the high cost of living:' The increase in our expenses lay, to the largest degree, on the publishing side of the Institute's work. If we compare the year 1918, as a fairly repre¬sentative year, with that of 1920, we find that the costs of issuing the' Institute's publications, after deducting the income received from these publications, shows a .net increase of about $33,000. for the year. This has been to some degree due to the enlarged membership but to a large degree due to the cost of the paper and printing.

Jan 1, 1921

By Charles W. DeWitt

The ore treated at the reduction plant (called Yangdei) of the Chiksan Mining Co., Korea, is brought from four of the company mines, and from the small tribute mines. The largest shipments come from Sajunkohl mine, situated about a mile and a half from the mill (Fig. 1). The ore is quartz of medium hardness. The average assay value in gold is $6.95 per ton. At the mine the ore is put into bins, and is then trammed over an 8 per cent, grade to the tipple bins above the mill, where the ore is drawn through the mill holes as desired. The capacity of the tipple bins is about 3,500 tons. Ore from Moonsukohl, Chung Tarrie, Yang Chun, and the tribute mines is brought in by bulls and bull wagons. The bulls carry from 350 to 800 lb.; the average wagon load is about 1,200 1b. (Fig. 2). One shovelful of ore out of every ten is taken as a sample. Considerable ore is brought in from the outside mines, and this method of sampling is

Jan 1, 1916

By O. W. Ellis

The writer has dealt with the effect of various methods of melting copper upon the gas content of the metal.' The copper referred to in his earlier paper was melted in the foundry both in the oil furnace and the electric furnace. As the metal did not measure up to conductivity standard, the term "casting copper" was applied to the material in the title of the paper. It was thought that some information in regard to the gases in a sample of overpoled copper might also be of interest, and through the courtesy of C. R. Stevens, superintendent of the copper mill of the West-inghouse Elec. & Mfg. Co., such a sample was obtained. The metal was chill-cast in the form of an ingot about 7 in. long, 2 1/2 in. deep (from the base to the raised surface of the ingot) and from 1 3/8 to 1 7/8 in. wide. A photograph of part of the ingot is shown in Fig. 1. The effect of over-poling on the surface of the metal is here quite clearly shown.

Jan 1, 1929

By O. W. Ellis

The writer has dealt with the effect of various methods of melting copper upon the gas content of the metal.' The copper referred to in his earlier paper was melted in the foundry both in the oil furnace and the electric furnace. As the metal did not measure up to conductivity standard, the term "casting copper" was applied to the material in the title of the paper. It was thought that some information in regard to the gases in a sample of overpoled copper might also be of interest, and through the courtesy of C. R. Stevens, superintendent of the copper mill of the West-inghouse Elec. & Mfg. Co., such a sample was obtained. The metal was chill-cast in the form of an ingot about 7 in. long, 2 1/2 in. deep (from the base to the raised surface of the ingot) and from 1 3/8 to 1 7/8 in. wide. A photograph of part of the ingot is shown in Fig. 1. The effect of over-poling on the surface of the metal is here quite clearly shown.

Jan 1, 1929

By W. H. Blauvelt

The technical and engineering problems in the manufacture of coke are today the problems of the byproduct oven. Except in a few special localitics, practically no beehive ovens have been built in the United States for the last 5 or 6 years except as renewals of old plants, and during these years the total number of beehive ovens in existence has been steadily falling. On the other hand, the number of byproduct ovens has increased from 4624 in 1911 to a total of about 7660 in operation at the end of 1917; with 2800 building, this makes a total of about 10,460 which will be in operation in 1918, or shortly thereafter. Preliminary Government estimates place the total production of coke for 1917 at 56,600,000 tons, the largest tonnage in the history of the industry. Of this 34,000,000 tons, or 60 per cent., was beehive, and 22,-600,000 tons, or 40 per cent., was byproduct coke. Some time in 1918 the production of byproduct coke should pass the beehive output, and when the byproduct ovens now building are completed the total byproduct capacity will be about 40,000,000 tons of coke per annum, which is over 70 per cent. of the record-breaking total coke production of 1917. The reasons for these changes in the coking industry are familiar to all of us, and need not be discussed here. Improvement in Oven Design Since the byproduct oven was brought to this country from Europe, in 1892, it has been radically improved, and from the point of view of American metallurgical practice it is safe to say that the American ovens arc superior to those of Europe. The points of superiority are mainly those of larger units and larger output per unit, and the greater extent to which labor-saving machinery has been introduced. The increased output is largely due to the use of silica refractory material, which permits higher heats and shorter coking time than are employed in Europe. The modern American oven will carbonize commercially more than 20 tons of coal per day, and contrary to the European idea that slower

Jan 1, 1920

By S. J. McCarroll

THE Three Kids mine, some six miles east of Henderson, Nev., is in a typical southwest desert area, with high dry summer heat and cool to cold winter seasons. The manganese deposit was located during World War I.1 During this period 15,000 to 20,000 tons of ore assaying up to 41 pct manganese were shipped. Interest in the deposit was not revived until the middle thirties, when experiments on the ore were initiated. Test work indicated possible recovery of only 70 pct by flotation, but in 1941 additional work was done at the Boulder City pilot plant of the U. S. Bureau of Mines and also by M. A. Hanna Co. As a result, the Manganese Ore Co. was formed and a plant utilizing the SO, process was constructed. Numerous operation difficulties ensued, and the plant was closed when the manganese situation in the country eased.

Jan 3, 1954

By W. W. Scott

The application of engineering methods to the problems connected with drilling and producing in the oil industry has led to the development of the science that is variously termed "petroleum engineering," "production engineering," "petroleum production engineering," and even Itpolitical engineering." It would require much detail to enumerate the qualifications of a petroleum engineer, just as it would for an engineer in any major industry. For those who have a genuine liking for the oil industry, there is a wide selection of pathways to achievement. The oil industry is now highly specialized. Its products are necessary to all civilized people and are indispensable in the security of our nation and also in the well-being of our families. The business structure of our country depends in a large measure upon oil, and the welfare of this group as individuals is certainly linked with the welfare of the oil industry. What Is the Trend of Engineering? The oil industry offers a fertile field of opportunity for engineering; probably more so than any other industry. The sciences of geology, physics, chemistry and mathematics are all used in some phase of the oil industry and to a very considerable extent in the production division, which embraces the geological, drilling and producing departments. In drilling and production alone, research programs of considerable magnitude are being carried on at this time, and no doubt the future will see a great deal more of this kind of work. Through the cooperation of the engineer, the equipment manufacturer, and the American Petroleum Institute, immense savings have been made by the standardization of drilling and production equipment. Drilling equipment in itself offers a wide scope for study, in that continued efforts are being made to improve the equipment so that it can be made to drill faster and to greater depths. The improvements in drilling equipment are required because new reserves of oil are being found at progressively greater depths. In order to produce such oil in competition with oil now being produced from reservoirs

Jan 1, 1937

F. W. Gordon, Philadelphia, Pa.: There can be no objection to the use of cross-compound blowing-engines; and when they are condensing they are susceptible of great range of duty with slight loss in efficiency. By those who have use for the full heat of the waste gases, this type of engine is advantageous; but many furnaces are not so located. The pig-iron is their finished product, and the gases are to be employed only for furnace-use. In this case simple engines are preferable, being less expensive and having less parts to take care of. These reasons determined the introduction of the engines, a sketch of which is distributed at this session. There are three of these engines to furnish blast for two furnaces, for a make of abont 250 tons per day, using 75 per cent. anthracite and 85 per cent. magnetic ores; and they are expected to blow up to twenty pounds pressure per square inch. For blast-furnaces I prefer the single to the coupled engine, except

Jan 1, 1894

By W. A. Bates, R. J. Miller

Although cresylic acids have been standard frothers in flotation for many years, there has been little discussion of their nature in the metallurgical literature. Aside from references in the patent literature, the paper by Landolt, Hill, and Lowyl in 1930, which resented a study of the frothing and collecting properties of some of the constituents of crude cresylic acids, represents the only contribution of this type. The close froth control required in the delicate selective separations of present-day flotation operations have required the flotation metallurgist to choose his frothers with care, and have caused him to require of the manufacturer a closely controlled, uniform product. A background of knowledge of the chemical composition and physical and chemical properties of the frothers, by which their action may be correlated, should aid in selecting frothers for particular flotation requirements. Further, the recent almost complete replacement in flotation of coal-tar cresylic acids by those derived from petroleum makes it especially desirable to review the flotation behavior of the acids from the old and the new sources. In view of these facts the Milling Methods Committee of the A.I.M.E. suggested to the Oronite Chemical Co. of San Francisco the preparation of a paper on the subject, and this paper has accordingly been prepared as a contribution by the California Research Corporation, the research affiliate of the Oronite Chemical Co. The discussion is from the following aspects: (I) constitution and properties; (2) sources; (3) comparison of coal-tar and petroleum cresylic acids; (4) characteristics as frothers, with particular reference to the effect of the substitution of petroleum acids for coal-tar acids. Constitution and Properties Cresylic acids are commonly regarded as mixtures of orthocresol, metacresol and paracresol. This was, indeed, the former meaning of the term, but in recent years it has been loosely applied to any mixture of alkyl phenols boiling above 190°C.; that is, excluding only phenol itself. This means that cresylic acids, as they are known today, may consist of mixtures, not only of the three isomeric cresols, but of six xylenols and of a variety of higher boiling homologues. Generically the constituents of cresylic acids are alkyl phenols, and they are often so designated in the literature to avoid the more indefinite term, "cresylic acids." They form an homologous series starting with phenol, which has the familiar benzene ring, with an hydroxyl group in place of one of the hydrogen atoms. The series of alkyl phenols is formed by the substitution of alkyl side chains, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, etc., for hydrogen atoms of the benzene ring of phenol. Some

Jan 1, 1947

By R. J. Miller, W. A. Bates

Although cresylic acids have been standard frothers in flotation for many years, there has been little discussion of their nature in the metallurgical literature. Aside from references in the patent literature, the paper by Landolt, Hill, and Lowyl in 1930, which resented a study of the frothing and collecting properties of some of the constituents of crude cresylic acids, represents the only contribution of this type. The close froth control required in the delicate selective separations of present-day flotation operations have required the flotation metallurgist to choose his frothers with care, and have caused him to require of the manufacturer a closely controlled, uniform product. A background of knowledge of the chemical composition and physical and chemical properties of the frothers, by which their action may be correlated, should aid in selecting frothers for particular flotation requirements. Further, the recent almost complete replacement in flotation of coal-tar cresylic acids by those derived from petroleum makes it especially desirable to review the flotation behavior of the acids from the old and the new sources. In view of these facts the Milling Methods Committee of the A.I.M.E. suggested to the Oronite Chemical Co. of San Francisco the preparation of a paper on the subject, and this paper has accordingly been prepared as a contribution by the California Research Corporation, the research affiliate of the Oronite Chemical Co. The discussion is from the following aspects: (I) constitution and properties; (2) sources; (3) comparison of coal-tar and petroleum cresylic acids; (4) characteristics as frothers, with particular reference to the effect of the substitution of petroleum acids for coal-tar acids. Constitution and Properties Cresylic acids are commonly regarded as mixtures of orthocresol, metacresol and paracresol. This was, indeed, the former meaning of the term, but in recent years it has been loosely applied to any mixture of alkyl phenols boiling above 190°C.; that is, excluding only phenol itself. This means that cresylic acids, as they are known today, may consist of mixtures, not only of the three isomeric cresols, but of six xylenols and of a variety of higher boiling homologues. Generically the constituents of cresylic acids are alkyl phenols, and they are often so designated in the literature to avoid the more indefinite term, "cresylic acids." They form an homologous series starting with phenol, which has the familiar benzene ring, with an hydroxyl group in place of one of the hydrogen atoms. The series of alkyl phenols is formed by the substitution of alkyl side chains, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, etc., for hydrogen atoms of the benzene ring of phenol. Some

Jan 1, 1947