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By Thomas Henderson

Strategically, intermaterials competition is important to companies involved in raw materials extraction, smelting, refining or other processing, semi-finished and finished goods fabrication, and end-use consumers. In other words, just about every company involved in manufacturing. The array of materials covered by other papers in this session is testimony to the subject's breadth. In trying to provide an over- view of such a broad topic, the purpose has been to relate some of the common characteristics of the markets, economics and technology of raw materials, and to describe some of the ways in which Intermaterials competition impacts the markets, economics and technology of raw materials.

Jan 1, 1982

By H. S. McQueen

THE central Ozark region of Missouri has inter-ested geologists and mining engineers for many years. Of particular interest are the mineralized sink-hole type deposits, some of which have produced large quantities of iron ore. Deposits of coal are also known in this part of the State, and in mode of occur-rence are similar to the iron ore deposits. Occurring in the same general area, and often associated with coal, are deposits of high-grade non-plastic flint fire clay, and high alumina or diaspore clay. At present these clays are the most important materials being mined from the sink-hole type deposits. Deposits of high-grade flint fire clay have been known to occur in this region for many years, the Kelley pit near Rolla, Phelps County, being discovered in drilling for iron ore shortly after the close of the Civil War. Mining operations had disclosed at an early date masses of rough, open-textured "sandy" clay associated with the flint fire clay. Some of the hard flint clay also con-tained rounded shot-like particles of "sand." Both types of clay were considered of inferior grade and unsuited to the manufacture of fire brick. These clays were discarded in mining as value-less, in some instances being used for road metal. Some knowledge of the high alumina content of this sandy material had been obtained by 1908 1, and by 1917 the high alumina content was gen- erally known, and commercial shipments of what is now called diaspore clay were being made. These deposits of diaspore clay associated with flint fire clay form the only known deposits of commercial importance in North America. The production of diaspore and flint fire clay at present exceeds that of any former year. Statistics covering the production and value of the former were not collected prior to 1922, and the figures given below do not cover the tonnage of clay mined by companies and used in their own plants, so that the total produc-tion probably is much larger than that indicated. The figures were collected by the U. S. Geological Survey and the U. S. Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Missouri Bureau of Geology and Mines.

Jan 6, 1928

J. Lainson Wills, Ottawa, Can. (Communication to the Secretary) : The localities of the Quebec and Ontario apatite deposits, and the nature of their occurrence haye been often described in the Transactions and in other publications that are readily available, and I do not, therefore, intend to discuss the many details advanced in Mr. Small's paper beyond the following two points:

Jan 1, 1893

By A. Patton

E. T. McCLEARY, Youngstown, Ohio (written discussion).-Perhaps there is no question before the steel manufacturers of America today that causes them more worry than that of maximum production, together with good quality, and Messrs. Patton and Speller have clearly shown in their excellent paper how this may be accomplished. Any operation that tends to uniformity is certainly conducive to good practice, and as the use of roll scale in the converter eliminates to a large extent the variations in temperature due to varying silicon content in the pig iron, it should certainly give a more uniform product. At the plant of The Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. the use of roll scale was started in the year 1908. A great many tests have been con-

Jan 4, 1917

By C. W. Nicolson

THE Tri-State zinc and lead-mining district is in the northeast corner of Oklahoma, the southeast corner of Kansas and the southwest corner of Missouri. The area throughout which active mining has been conducted is about 45 miles long and about 5 miles wide, extending northeasterly from Commerce, Okla., to Alba, Missouri. Although the lead ores were mined on a very small scale in the vicinity of Joplin, Mo., as early as 1848, nothing of any importance was done in the district until 1870, since when both mining and smelting have been prosecuted with considerable vigor. In the beginning the lead ores only were exploited, but within a few years extensive deposits of zinc ores were found and since that time the production of zinc ore has far exceeded that of lead. Both the surface and mineral rights in Missouri and Kansas were under individual ownership by the time ore was discovered. Although some of these rights were purchased by mining companies, most of the mining has been done under leases covering small areas, usually 40 acres, although in the past many leases were given on much smaller tracts. In Oklahoma most of the mineral land had been alloted by the Government to various Indian tribes and although the title to some of these lands had been acquired by various white men before the discovery of the rich Picher field, the title to most of the land has remained with the Indian tribes and the leasing of the mineral rights has been done by the Federal Government for the benefit of the Indians. The Indian allotments were of 200 acres each and some of the mining leases covered entire allotments, although many leases were granted for only 40 acres or even less.

Jan 1, 1938

By Philip R. Whitney

Deposition of manganese oxides is of common occurrence in streams of the north-eastern United States. Manganese entering the stream in solution in ground water is oxidized and deposited in the stream, primarily as oxide coatings on detrital materials. Prevalence and thickness of the coatings increases with increasing particle size in the coarse sand and gravel range. A number of metals of economic and environmental interest are enriched in these coatings. Samples of 8 to 16 mm pebbles were obtained from two streams in the Shawangunk region of southeastern New York State, an area of know71 Pb/Zn/Cu mineralization. The pebbles were leached to remove the oxide coatings and the resulting solutions analyzed for Mn, Fe, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Co, and Ni. Trace-metal/Mn ratios in these streams are generally one to two orders of magnitude higher than regional background values. Profiles of trace- metal/Mn ratios along the streams show considerable detail; contributions of metals from tributaries are sharply reflected in the metal content of the oxides. The potential advantages and disadvantages of using coated stream gravel for geochemical prospecting and environmental studies are discussed in the light of these and other data.

Jan 1, 1976

By Reed W. Hyde

Some information has been published on the sulphur dioxide concentration of gases from D wight-Lloyd machines sintering lead ores but most of this relates to the customary practice in which the charge is relatively high in lead and is sintered in two passes Over the machine. It is thought, therefore, that the following observations on sintering in one pass a low-lead, low-sulphur charge may be of interest. The data were obtained in sintering lead sulphide notation concentrates mixed with minus 20.mesh oxide ore, the mixture carrying 16,8 per cent Pb and 5.3 per cent S. No returns were used because of the limited amount of sulphur available as fuel, but the mixture pelletized readily. to make a satisfactorily permeable bed on the sintering machine. As there was a possibility that the SO z might be utilized, a series of runs was made to determine the concentration ofSO2 in the gases at different points along the wind box, and the effect on this concentration of changes in the wind-box vacuum. Several runs each were made with vacuums (as measured in inches of water at the wind box) of (1 2 to 1 in., ('1 4 to 3% in. and (3) 6 to 5% in. The averages of the determinations from each series are platted On the graph (Fig, 1). The vertical scale shows the percentage by volume of SOz (as determined by the Reich method), and the horizontal scale shows the time e~pressed as percentage of the total sintering time. Sintering was considered to be complete when no SOz could be detected in the gases. In all cases the depth of bed was 4 1/2 in. and the weight of dry charge per square foot of hearth area was 45.2 lb. Other data are given in the table. The volume of gases corresponding to the several points along the wind box at which SO2 determinations were made could not be measured, but has been calculated from the SO2 Content and sulphur elimination on the assumption that the volume is uniform throughout the sintering period. This is not strictly true, as with a given vacuum the volume usually will drop slightly toward the middle of the period and increase toward the end. However, this made is a reasonable approximation. several interesting features are brought out by these data. In general, the published data on SO 2 concentration in sintering under ordinary conditions show a high SO2 concentration in the early stages followed by a rapid decrease in concentration and with relatively little SOz in the gases from the last half or third of the operation. In other words, the greater part of the sulphur elimination is obtained in the first third or half of the period. In these runs, the 6-in. vacuum, which approximates the usual operating condition, gives a curve that follows this customary pattern. Maximum SO2 concentration is obtained 234 min. after

Jan 1, 1944

By J. A. Brusset

THE Adanac mine was opened by West Canadian Collieries, Ltd. in 1943, and the question soon arose as to which system of haulage should be selected. Compressed-air locomotives and ropes were rejected on the ground of high cost. Since under the Alberta Mines Act the use of trolley locomotives underground in coal seams is not permitted, the choice lay between storage battery and Diesel locomotives, The preference of the author, who had experience with both in gassy French coal mines prior to 1930, was for Diesel locomotives due to lower cost of installation and greater flexibility and reliability. It was realized that the adoption of Diesels would be somewhat of an innovation since in the United States the mining laws prohibit their use under- ground in coal mines, and in Great Britain in 1943 their use was only in the incipient stage. By 1945, 25 Diesel locomotives were in use underground in gassy mines in Great Britain, and approval had been granted for the use of an additional fifty of two approved types also for gassy mines. Numerous special regulations of the British Coal Mines Act have been formulated to govern the use of Diesel locomotives. For instance, they are not allowed closer than 200 yards from the working face; daily inspections are required; and a weekly checkup and cleaning must be given the engine by a competent engineer. Also, methane content of the air in the roadway can never exceed 1.25 percent, and daily checks must be made if it exceeds 0.75 percent. Under Alberta regulations, we were required to use a flameproof type engine, to be used only in fresh air intake. The engine fumes had to travel along a separate ventilation split where no man was permanently employed. It is forbidden to run a

Jan 1, 1949

By W. W. Wirth

RESEARCH looking toward the reduction of the cost of roof support by substitution of longer-life materials for wooden timber is fully justified by the fact that roof support is an important element of all production costs. Permanent or semipermanent roof support will reduce the expense of timber-maintenance crews during steady operations, but even more markedly during idle periods. The management, therefore, is faced with the important problem of timber renewals, which in times of regular operation are frequently obscured by more urgent problems of production. Increased use of timber in the Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania is caused mainly by increased percentage of coal obtained from robbing areas, which requires more timber for safety than develop-ment work, and maintenance of long haulageways through crushed ground despite the fact that less coal is transported over them. The timber reserve in the immediate vicinity of the mines has been depleted to such an extent that it is necessary to secure 70 per cent of the timber requirements from distant sources. Originally, mine timbering in this region was done by largely utilizing round props or legs with round collars. The whole cross section of the tree from which timber was cut was utilized by forming the joints between the legs and the collars with saw and adze, using plank or round saplings for lagging behind the legs and over the collars to prevent material falling between them. The Mine Inspectors' report of 1898 records an important digression from the use of round timber, when two tunnels at the Babylon colliery, near Pittston, Pa., were timbered with 12 by 12-in. square timber sets with mud sills, through quicksand for distances of 425 and 160 ft., respectively. The timbers were lagged with 3-in. plank to control sand.

Jan 1, 1940

By P. A. Witherspoon, Y. W. Tsang

Normal stress-fracture closure variation and stress-dependent fluid flow rates were calculated for rock fractures of different aperture distributions. This study shows that both the mechanical and hydraulic properties of the fracture are controlled by the large-scale roughness of the rock fracture. Hence the typical large-scale undulation wavelength of the rock joint dictates the suitable sample size to be used in normal stress and fluid-flow measurements, if results due purely to sample size are to be avoided.

Jan 1, 1982

By C. O. Rison

HIGH explosives, particularly nitroglycerin, have been used in torpedoes for the purpose of shooting oil and gas wells for more than 60 years. The early history of the oil industry in Pennsylvania is not clear as to who actually torpedoed the first well, although in 1865 the Roberts Torpedo Co. procured a patent covering the process. Gunpowder was first used, although nitroglycerin was substituted shortly afterwards. Wells are shot for the purpose of increasing the flow of oil and gas A shot-hole in the producing horizon, with its contributory fissures and fractures, increases the area of and stimulates drainage into the hole. The shot-hole also acts as a collecting basin from which the oil is pumped. As a rule, hard or close-grained sands or limes are shot, other more or less porous and soft formations usually do not require shooting. and might be injured by blasting. Shooting is also resorted to in mechanical trouble such as straightening crooked holes, sidetracking pipe or tools, and for severing frozen strings of casing or drill pipe. Explosives arc also used sometimes to extinguish oil or gas-well fires although that work, which involves unusual conditions and methods, does not properly come within the classification of oil-well shooting. Some Factors to Be Considered in Shooting Wells Although nitroglycerin has been used extensively for more than half a century in shooting oil and gas wells, there is still a great deal of uncertainty as to the proper method of shooting or the amount of explosive required to produce best results in a particular formation. The possibility of shooting unproductive or cavey formations above or below the productive horizons, shooting into lower water, destroying casing seats, and the splitting or collapsing of casing strings, are factors that require consideration. The engineering departments of a number of the larger oil companies are making a study of methods of shooting, and the amounts of liquid nitroglycerin or other explosives required in shooting various productive

Jan 1, 1929

By Persifor Frazer

(Read at the Wilkes-Barre Meeting, May, 1877.) A CLASSIFICATION of natural objects is usually based either upon some fundamental and permanent attribute of the thing itself (as in the case of scientific classifications), or it embraces one or more generalizations convenient for use in ordinary life. Thus, it suffices for the statistician to, know that so many tons of fish are annually taken by our fishermen, and that they realize so many thousands of dollars, whereas to the student of natural history the anatomy, habits, and relationships of the animals are of chief interest, as settling their respective places in the scale of animate nature. Many different classifications of coals have been attempted, as one would naturally anticipate from the immense extent of the coal trade, and the different localities whence the supply was derived. The English divisions were prevalent up to the date of the publication of the last geological survey of the State, except so far as they were modified by local designations. Indeed, Rogers' classifications made very little alteration in the English nomenclature, as may be seen by comparing. the tables given below. To commence with the different kinds mentioned in Ure's Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines of 1845 " 1. Cubical Coal.-Black, shining, compact, moderately hard and easily frangible. Comes out in rectangular masses, of which the

Jan 1, 1878

By Jack White, Ralph B. Adair

The Mufulira mine in Northern Rhodesia is 13° south of the Equator and at an altitude of 4100 ft above sea level. The concentrator was planned in 1930 to treat about 10,000 tons of ore per day, but before construction work had gone very far the size of the plant was reduced to 1500 tons daily capacity. Then just as the construction was finished in December 1931, the price of copper did not warrant the commencement of operations and it was not until October 1933 that the mine re-opened. Extensions have been made to the plant in 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1940 and finally in 1945. The capacity of the plant when the 1945 extension is completed will be 9500 short tons per day. The various extensions have been carried out with the minimum confusion and with great skill on the part of the designers and the erection engineers. In dealing with the plant in this paper it is proposed to give an outline of the present practice and only to refer to past practice when it is considered of particular interest. Ore Treated The ore consists of fine grained highly siliceous, felspathic and argillaceous quartz- ites, the latter containing graphitic carbon and locally termed graywacke. These rocks are considerably altered near the surface and on the fringes of the ore body. Despite extensive efforts at mixing, both underground and in the crushing plant, many sudden changes of ore take place in the mill feed. The minerals are chalcocite, bornite and chalcopyrite with relatively unimportant amounts of malachite, native copper, azurite, covellite and chrysocolla. Gold is present at about I oz to a thousand tons, and silver at about 2 dwt. per ton. With increasing depth the nonsulphide content or,, as commonly termed locally, the oxide content of the ore is decreasing and is now less than 0.25 pct against a high of 0.77 pct- Crushing Operations The first stage of crushing is done under. ground where the oversize from I2-in. grizzlies is fed to a 56 X 72-in. jaw crusher. At the Selkirk shaft two 10-ton skips deliver the run of mine ore at a rate of 450 tons per hour to the 400-ton capacity shaft bins. One 6 ft wide Ross chain feeder and one locally made air-operated finger feeder feed the two 30-in. McCully crushers. Ahead of each crusher is a 6 X 9-ft spring grizzley spaced at 5 in. on a 35O slope. Neither the Ross chain feeder nor the finger feeder is entirely satisfactory and for the wet, muddy and sticky ore that has to be handled it is planned to replace these with two 6-ft wide apron pan feeders. The McCully crushers deliver a minus 5-in. product, at a.rate of over 500 tons per

Jan 1, 1949

By Jack White, Ralph B. Adair

THE Mufulira mine in Northern Rhodesia is 13° south of the Equator and at an altitude of 4100 ft above sea level. The concentrator was planned in 1930 to treat about 10,000 tons of ore per day, but before construction work had gone very far the size of the plant was reduced to 1500 tons daily capacity. Then just as the construction was finished in December 1931, the price of copper did not warrant the commencement of operations and it was not until October 1933 that the mine re-opened. Extensions have been made to the plant in 1034, 1935, 1936 1937, 1940 and finally in 1945. The capacity of the plant when the 1945 extension is completed will be 9500 short tons per day. The various extensions have been carried out with the minimum confusion and with great skill on the part of the designers and the erection engineers. In dealing with the plant in this paper it is proposed to give an outline of the present practice and only to refer to past practice when it is considered of particular interest. ORE TREATED The ore consists of fine grained highly siliceous, felspathic and argillaceous quartzites, the latter containing graphitic carbon and locally termed graywacke. These rocks are considerably altered near the surface and on the fringes of the ore body. Despite extensive efforts at mixing, both underground and in the crushing plant, many sudden changes of ore take place in the mill feed. The minerals are chalcocite, bornite and chalcopyrite with relatively unimportant amounts of malachite, native copper, azurite, covellite and chrysocolla. Gold is present at about 1 oz to a thousand tons, and silver at about 2 dwt. per ton. With increasing depth the nonsulphide content or, as commonly termed locally, the oxide content of the ore is decreasing and is now less than 0.25 pct against a high of 0.77 pct. CRUSHING OPERATIONS The first stage of crushing is done underground where the oversize from 12-in. grizzleys is fed to a 56 X 72-in. jaw crusher. At the Selkirk shaft two 10-ton skips deliver the run of mine ore at a rate of 450 tons per hour to the 400-ton capacity shaft bins. One 6 ft wide Ross chain feeder and one locally made air-operated finger feeder feed the two 30-in. McCully crushers. Ahead of each crusher is a 6 X 9-ft spring grizzley spaced at 5 in. on a 35° slope. Neither the Ross chain feeder nor the finger feeder is entirely satisfactory and for the wet, muddy and sticky ore that has to be handled it is planned to replace these with two 6-ft wide apron pan feeders. The McCully crushers deliver a minus 5-in. product, at a rate of over 500 tons per

Jan 1, 1947

By M. P. Sidorova, D. A. Fridrikhsherg

The surface charge, electrokinetic potential and surface conductance were studied for silica, alumina and rutile as the functions of PH and concentration of 1-1 electrolyte solutions. The adsorption potentials of potential-determining and specifically adsorbed ions were calculated from isoelectric and zero charge points on the basis of Stern equation and thermodynamic description. From surface conductance and charge data the mean ionic mobilities in double layer were estimated. The results give some information about the real structure of oxide-electrolyte interface and gel-layer concept.

Jan 1, 1980

By V. Carlson, J. A. Rowe, E. O. Bennett

This report concerns the microbial flora found throughout the surface facilities of six water-injection systems in Texas and Oklahoma. Each system is described in detail and water quality data are presented when available. Pseudomonads and sulfate-reducers (Desulfovibrio) were the predominate organisms found in the systems. The genera Sphaerotilus, Bacillus, Achromobacter, Minococcus, Clostridium, Flavobacteriurn, and Sarcina were also isolated in significant numbers. Molds, iron bacteria, sulfur bacteria and soil bacteria were found less frequently in the systems. It is concluded that a complex microbiological flora exists in oilfield water-injection systems. A tendency for waters to deteriorate in passage through solid bed filters is also noted. INTRODUCTION The injection of water into a subsurface formation is often accompanied by numerous problems, the origin and nature of which are only partially understood. During the past few years, investigators have indicated that bacteria are involved in some of these problems even though very little specific information is available concerning this matter. It is surprising that investigators working on microbiological problems in water injection have never made a complete study of the flora of these systems. The logical course to pursue is that of identifying the microbial flora and then examining each organism individually and in combination with others to determine if they produce a particular problem. The objective of the present investigation is to identify the microbial flora in water-injection systems. In addition. the quality of the water in most of the systems was determined and some observations made on the extent to which passage through surface-handling facilities affects water quality. The information derived from this study can serve as a foundation for additional basic investigations. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The microbial flora of six water-injection systems were studied at 50 sampling points. These systems are experiencing problems which may be attributable to micro-organisms, and two were being treated with antimicrobial agents at the time of this study. The samples were obtained by inoculating 1.0 ml of the water onto the different media at the sampling point. The media used for primary isolation included nutrient agar, Strokes agar, M-10-E medium and semi-solid thioglycollate medium. The cultures were returned to the laboratory, incubated at 30°C until growth occured; then, pure cultures were obtained from individual colonies. The pure cultures were identified according to standardbacteriologica1 procedures. Those organisms not fitting identification criteria exactly, even though exhibiting close similarities to known species, are listed as unidentified organisms. Membrane filters were used to make water-quality tests at intervals before and after collection of the microbiological samples. The filter discs were 47 mm in diameter with a 0.45-micron particle-size retention, and the tests were done under closed conditions at 20) psi. Membrane flow rates are plotted as increasing filtrate volumes, and the total solids contents arcs given when available. An effort was made to sample at each place in a system where a change in environment occurred. In this manner, the effect of passage through filters, tanks, hay sections, etc., on the microbial flora and water quality could be observed. RESULTS SYSTEM A This waterflood system (Fig. 1) is about four years old and daily pumps approx&ately 110,000 bbl of oil-free sour water from a 3,700-ft deep reef. The

By Charles A. Lindberg

It will be generally agreed that the most important accessory to a rail haul operation is the railroad type locomotive crane. The oldest and still most common type is the steam crane, a self-contained steam power plant, coal fired, complete with boom and hoisting machinery and mechanical drive capable of propelling the unit on its own power at speeds up to 15 mph on the level, and hauling, if necessary, a car for transport of the objects being handled. Usually, for greater mobility and safety, this crane and flatcar are moved around the pit by a switcher locomotive. Crane capacities range from 25 to 40 tons, these loads being handled with the shortest radius of boom and with outrigger. Boom lengths are 55 to 60 ft long, usually with heavy lift main blocks at 40 ft boom lengths. Lifting capacities with booms at maximum radius are approximately 20 % of maximum rating. Free capacities, namely without outriggers, range from 65 (at minimum radius) to 55% (at maximum radius) of the above capacity values.

Jan 3, 1950

By R. W. Jigins

OPERATIONS of the Braden Copper Co. are in the Chilean Andes, southeast of Santiago. Most remote of the company communities is Sewell, a town of 12,000 people, 7000 ft above sea level at the junction of the Coya and Teniente rivers. Four miles down the Coya River is the smelter town of Caletones, elevation 4500 ft, with a population of about 3000. At the junction of the Coya and Cachapoal rivers 24 miles below Sewell is Coya, eleva- tion 2500 ft, location of the company's two hydro- electric plants. The principal accounting offices; steel, iron, and brass foundries; railroad shops; and major mechanical repair and fabricating shops are at Rancagua in the central Chilean valley, 44 miles from Sewell. The company owned narrow-gage railroad connects with the Chilean national railroad at Rancagua and above Coya is the only modern means of travel. El Teniente mine at Sewell is the largest under- ground copper mine in the world. The mill, at the portal of the main tunnel, has a capacity of 34,000 tons of crude ore daily, although production is lower during the winter beacause of electric power restrictions. When operating at capacity the mill produces 2000 tpd of copper concentrates and 32,000 tpd of tailings. Tonnage of tailings is equivalent to about 100,000 tons of pulp at normal water to solid ratio.

Jan 10, 1957

By Nicholas J. Grant, Noboru Komatsu

Electron-micrographic studies and hardness tests were made of an internally oxidized dispersion-strengthened Cu-12 vol pct SiO2 alloy follozuing longtime annealing at elevated temperatures. The rate of coarsening of SiO2 particles and the relationship between hardness and interpavticle spacing were Dispersion -strengthened alloys exhibit a remarkable stability of structure and properties at elevated temperatures compared with conventional alloys; nevertheless, when they are exposed to high measured. The rate of coarsening of SiO2 particles is controlled by the decomposition of SiO, rather than by the diffusion rates of silicon or oxygen through the copper matrix. The mechanism of coarsening was also studied by using a diffusion-couple technique. temperatures, weakening takes place as a result of coarsening of the dispersed phase. The theoretical treatment of the coarsening of dispersed phases has been treated by Greenwood,1 wagner,, and others3 by considering the interfacial energy of dispersions and the diffusion of solute atoms. Recently, experimental work on the coarsening of relatively insoluble, finely dispersed cobalt particles in copper was reported by Livingston,4 and on aluminum oxide in nickel by Dromsky, Lenel, and Ansell;5 according to these investigations, the rate

Jan 1, 1964

By A. S. Rhea

SALT-WATER disposal in the East Texas field by means of injection into the Woodbine sand is a relatively new procedure. The purpose of this paper is to present what has been accomplished to date in this field, with-out detailed discussion of other means of disposal, such as surface impound-ing for evaporation or release into surface streams. Subsurface disposal of salt water is still in an experimental stage in the East Texas field, and, though water can be injected into the Woodbine sand, the economic problem is not as yet solved. As past experience has been that fields producing from the Woodbine formation produce large quantities of salt water, it was assumed early in development of East Texas that it would be necessary to dispose of a tremendous quantity of salt water in the later periods of production. There has been a gradual increase in the amount of salt water pro-duced in the field, until at present it is about 200,000 bbl. per day from approximately 4400 wells. It is only natural to expect an increase in the number of wells producing water, as well as the amount of water produced in the future, and it has been estimated that if present practices con-tinue the production of salt water may ultimately be as much as 700,-000 bbl. per day. The Woodbine sand is found in the East Texas field at an average depth of 3650 ft. The oil-bearing portion of the sand lies between the depths of 3050 ft. below sea level, on the east edge of the field, and 3320 ft. below sea level on the west, which depth was the estimated original average oil-water contact. The Woodbine sand under the field has the form of a broad tilted wedge pinching out on the eastern side of the field and dipping gently into the East Texas Basin toward the west. The Woodbine sand in the East Texas field has an average porosity of approximately 25 per cent and is highly permeable, the average being about 1300 millidarcys.

Jan 1, 1940