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By AIME AIME

THE Charleston Section of the A. I. M. E. held a joint meeting with the National Coal Association and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers on May 6 and 7, at which 94 members and guests were registered. Mechanical operation of coal mines was the subject discussed. First on the program was a paper entitled "Rock Dusting in the Coal Mines of West Virginia," by R. M. Lambie, chief of the Department of Mines, and Gordon MacVean. It appears in full in the current issue of MINING AND METALLURGY, p. 290. J. E. Jones of the Old Ben Coal Corp. opened this discussion by describing the method of rock dusting employed in the mines of that company, giving many interesting details, incidentally referring to the use of rock dust in fighting mine fires. He described one case where a number of troughs was brought to within 150 ft. of the fire, and rock dust had been thrown in its direction. After each trough had been thrown the party advanced a few feet, where another trough was discharged. About 10 ft. were gained on each advance, until the party found they had advanced completely over the fire.

Jan 1, 1926

By J. E. Johnson

It is the purpose of the present paper, while not excluding chemical considerations, to deal more extensively with some of the physical and mechanical aspects of the blast-furnace process, and to point out its dependence, in these respects, on well-known laws. The quantity and cost of ore and flux required to make a ton of iron being determined by circumstances over which the furnace-man, under given conditions as to quality and quantity of product, has commonly little control, the principal item of cost, apart from the saving of labor, which he can aspire to reduce, is that of fuel. To determine the limits of possibility in this direction is clearly the first step in a practical inquiry; and this step is represented herewith in Fig. 1, a diagram showing the total useful effect obtained from a pound of fuel under various conditions, and thus permitting direct comparison, under any given conditions, between actual results and the maximum possible results. The following statements will explain the basis upon which this diagram has been constructed. One pound of fuel, containing 90 per cent. of fixed carbon (which represents average conditions), is taken as the unit. The degree of oxidation of the carbon is measured by the ratio of the two oxides of carbon contained in the top-gases. It is necessary to remember that a considerable quantity of carbon is brought in as carbon dioxide by the flux, and to take account of it and of its condition. It is here considered that the carbon dioxide liberated by the limestone does not affect the analysis of the top-gases, and that the ratio of CO to CO2 will remain unchanged by the addition of limestone; enough CO, being reduced by the solution

Jan 1, 1906

By Charles E. Packard

Many coal producers have been faced recently with the problem of arranging their production facilities to accommodate recent trends in the transportation of their product. Each operator is normally faced with a different problem requiring a system to meet his specific needs. It may be that he would be required to load a seven or eight thousand ton integral train each day which would naturally call for a large storage pile, high loading rate, accomplished in a minimum of time On the other hand, it may be that he is faced with furnishing coal to make up one-half of a unit train that is to be assembled twice a week. Whether the problem is large or small, many considerations must be given to each specific problem to be certain that the proper scheme is applied. The operator actually has several choices as to what type of storage and loading facilities he may consider. The storage pile, for instance, may be open type, conical in shape, kidney-shaped, or long and wedge-shaped. It may also be enclosed by steel or concrete

Jan 8, 1964

By Milton H. Fies

EARLY in 1945 the laboratories of the Southern Research Institute will begin active research investigations on behalf of industrial clients. This achievement has come after four years of planning by a group of Alabama businessmen, and is in partialanswer to an urgent need in the South. Those who conceived the Institute have long realized that a marked relationship exists between scientific research and the economic well-being of the several regions of the country. Clearly, technological research, generally absent in the South, is the medium through which are created new finished goods industries, and the increase of technological research is perhaps the most important long-range project in the South.

Jan 1, 1945

KNOWING the endpoint, or the equilibrium state, in steelmaking reactions is only part of the story. The rate at which the reactions proceed can be equally important. But the power of thermodynamics, which enables us to estimate the endpoint, is that a knowledge of the mechanism is not required. The methods of kinetics, however, are step-by-step analysis in which a knowledge of the detailed reaction mechanism is essential. As is evident from Chapter 16, a great deal of thermo- dynamic data for steelmaking are available and the underlying theory rests on a completely sound basis. This is far from the case with kinetic data and even kinetic theory. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to examine the present state of knowledge, to see how far it may be applied to electric furnace reactions. KINETIC THEORY Heterogeneous Reactions. Classical kinetic theory and experimentation have been mainly concerned with homogeneous reactions taking place between different chemical species in a gas or liquid phase. The species are mixed together and the progress of the reaction can then be observed. This is possible because most experiments have been done at relatively low temperatures where the characteristic time for the mixing process is much shorter than the time for the chemical reaction to be completed. For example, in the homogeneous gas reaction, H2 (g) + I2 (g) 2HI (g) hydrogen and iodine may be added to opposite ends of a tube containing a diaphragm. When this is withdrawn, gaseous diffusion (and convection) mixes the two types of molecule almost completely before any hydrogen iodide molecules begin to appear. Such an experiment is inconceivable at more elevated temperatures, since the rate of the chemical process is so sensitive to temperature that reaction would be completed almost instantaneously wherever hydrogen and iodine came into contact; the rate of the mixing process would then determine the rate at which hydrogen iodide was formed. We should not, therefore, expect to observe many homogeneous reac-

Jan 1, 1964

By Walter Renton Ingalls

In addition to the localities in which tin-ores have been found in Mexico, mentioned in my paper on the a Tin-Deposits of Durango," presented to the Institute in March, 1895,* the following should be recorded. I am indebted to Captain Henry Freeman, of Durango, for the notes as to these occurrences. In the Sierra de la Candela, west of the Sierra de Sail Frailcisco and El Promontorio (the Llano de Guatimape intervening between the two ranges), cassiterite is found in veins and stream-beds. The veins are narrow, and the ores have the same characteristics as those of Potrillos. They were exploited by miners from Coneto in 1882-86, the more extensive work having been done on the northern side of the mountains. In the Sierra de las Palomas, on the western edge of the Otinapa, ranch, about 25 miles W.N.W. from the Diablo mine in the Cacaria district, there are several small veins, of which the ore, gangue and country-rock are similar to those of the Cerro de los Remedios, near the city of Durango. The latter are essentially the same as the Potrillos veins. In the Cerritos del Olote, in the Murphy grant, about 50 miles W.S.W. from Durango, there are old mines, now partially filled. The veins are narrow and poor; the ore is highly ferruginous; the country-rock is rhyolite, with some granite; immense quantities of chalcedonic rubbish are strewn along the course of the veins. In the Cerro Blanco, overlooking the pueblo of Mezquital, 48 miles south of Durango, tin-ore is mined by the natives.

Jan 1, 1898

By Richard Bosustow, Van Dyne Howbert

The Presidio mine of The American Metal Co. is situated in the "Big Bend" region, some 45 miles over state highway south of Marfa, a station on the Southern Pacific R.R. It lies 20 miles by road north of the Mexican border, in semidesert surroundings typical of this general section of the United States and the adjoining part of Mexico. All supplies are hauled in by truck from Marfa under contract. The concentrates and precipitates produced by the mill are carried by the same trucks to Marfa, from whence they are shipped, respectively, to the El Paso and Selby plants. History The mine was discovered about the year 1880 and was soon thereafter taken over for development by some army officers stationed at Fort Davis, Texas. It was later operated by the Presidio Mining Co., which treated the ore in a small pan-amalgamation mill from 1883 until 1913, when a cyanide plant was erected which has been in continuous operation ever since. When the present company, a subsidiary of The American Metal Co., Ltd., took over the mine in April, 1926, the ore-bearing zone had been worked for about 2200 ft. to the east of I the outcrops down the dip of the formation, at which point it is at a I vertical depth of 500 ft. below the surface. Up to that time the mine had produced some 1,150,000 tons of ore averaging about 17 oz. silver. After a development campaign the company started milling again in February, 1927. Since then the production has been approximately 4700 tons per month of ore; of which the yearly average grade has varied from 19.7 to 23.2 oz. silver, $0.20 to $0.50 gold, and 2.0 to 2.5 per cent. lead. No other property in this district has ever produced tonnage of any importance.

Jan 1, 1931

Jan 1, 1968

By W. Spencer Hutchinson

THE purpose of this account is to introduce to other engineers and geologists who use photography a means of interpreting topographic and geologic structure with the stereoscope. Anyone who finds this of sufficient interest to read it at all must cut out the pictures shown and have a good look at them through the stereoscope; there is no other way to appreciate what is meant. Most of us have been disappointed by the flatness of mountain pictures and by the lack of perspective in photographs taken to illustrate topographic and geo- logic features. The use of the stereoscopic principle was suggested by the work of the photographic division of the Air service during the war. Photographs of the battle line, taken from air planes, were mounted for stereoscopic study, with most remarkable development of topography, penetration of camouflage and, by the matching of pictures with a time interval between, sure revelation of new work by the enemy. Thus, two views taken from a plane flying at 10,000 ft., both of the same terrain but from different points, are mounted in proper relation and put into the stereoscope. If the distance between the two positions of the camera was 200 ft., the observer then sees the topographic and military features as though his eyes were 200ft. instead of 235 in. apart.. The result is startling in its revelation of features that are flat and unintelligible when viewed by the unaided eye or in a single photograph. The technic of the work, as developed during the war, was quite complex and

Jan 1, 1921

Jan 1, 1970

By Frederick Vickery

THE discovery of oil on the Goleta anticline has extended the petroliferous areas of California 18 miles west of the previous limit at Summerland and 35 miles south of the fields at Santa Maria. In each of these localities the oil is found in the Miocene-Pliocene strata, but as the oil at Goleta is found in the Sespe formation, which is generally considered as Oligocene or lowermost Miocene, the Goleta field extends the production of that horizon 52 miles west of South Mountain, the previous western outpost. Two horizons of high-gravity, paraffin-base oil have been found at shallow depths, and the exploratory well, Goleta No. 1, is now being drilled to test the productivity of an expected horizon in the Meganos formation. The Goleta structure is 12 miles west of the city of Santa Barbara and 2 miles north of the coast. Although it is within part of the old Spanish Rancho, Los Pueblos, it corresponds to T. 4 N., R. 29 W., S. B. B. and M., Santa Barbara county, California. The discovery well, Goleta No. 1 was drilled by the Miley Petroleum Ex-ploration Co. on the Tecolote ranch in the part of the Spanish grant corresponding to the sw. 1/4 of the nw. 1/4 of Section 3. Despite the apparent isolated position of the Goleta field, it is within the Ventura basin. The idea that the Ventura basin terminates at the ocean beach near the city of Ventura is neither sup-ported by the geologic structures nor the sequence of strata west of that city. This basin at the present time is known on the land as the Santa Clara valley and beneath the sea as the Santa Barbara channel. It extends westward to Point Concepcion. The Ventura basin, before the Miocene and Pliocene epochs of deformation, was much broader than at the present time. It is bounded by two lines of uplift, the Santa Ynez range on the north and the Santa Monica mountains with their extension, the Channel islands, on the south. Both of these ranges trend east and west. The Ventura basin and the mountains that bound it are part of a remark-able east-west orogenic unit, which interrupts the pre-vailingly northwest ranges along the Pacific Coast.

Jan 10, 1927

By L. C. Chang, T. A. Read

Diffusionless transformation in Au-Cd single crystals containing about 50 atomic pet Cd was investigated by means of X-ray analysis of the orientation relationships, electrical resistivity measurements, and motion picture studies of the movement of boundaries between the new and old phases during transformation. The nucleation of diffusionless transformation by imperfections and the generation of imperfections by diffusionless transformation were discussed. THAT connections exist between plastic deformation and diffusionless phase changes has long been recognized. Thus it is often possible to produce a diffusionless phase change in a temperature range, above that in which the change occurs spontaneously, by cold-working the initial phase. Certain aspects of the dislocation theory of the plastic deformation of crystalline solids also provide for a rather direct connection between the processes involved in plastic deformation and in diffusionless phase changes. Heidenreich and Shockleyl have pointed out that simple edge dislocations in f.c.c. metals are probably unstable, and that the more probable lattice imperfections, called extended edge dislocations, consist of two half dislocations separated by a distance of the order of magnitude of 100A. The region about two atomic planes thick between the half dislocations because of this stacking fault may be described as having the hexagonal close-packed structure. Presumably the stacking faults observed by Barrett" fter cold-working f.c.c. Cu-Si alloys resulted from the passage of such half dislocations through the lattice of the initial phase. It is now becoming clear that the development of a detailed theory of the atomic movements involved in diffusionless phase changes will require a consideration of the role played by lattice imperfections, just as such considerations are necessary to the understanding of plastic deformation mechanisms. This point of view has been recently set forth, for example, by Cohen, Machlin, and Paranjpe3 who pointed out the role which might be played by screw dislocations in nucleating diffusionless phase changes. The present paper reports on some aspects of the diffusionless phase change in single crystals of the beta phase alloy Au-Cd which serve to emphasize further the importance of lattice imperfections in diffusionless phase changes. The diffusionless phase change of Au-Cd possesses several remarkable features. One of these is that the interface between the high-temperature beta phase and the low-temperature orthorhombic phase typically moves with a low velocity, in contrast to the behavior observed in the transformation of austenite to martensite. Motion pictures of this slow interface motion have been prepared in the course of the work reported here. Another important feature of the Au-Cd transformation is the small amount of undercooling observed. The reverse transformation occurs on reheating to a temperature only 20" higher than the transformation temperature observed on cooling, and under some circumstances the hysteresis observed is substantially less than this. This narrow temperature range between transformation on heating and cooling is presumably in part a consequence of the fact that the transformation requires a lattice shear of only about 3". Finally, the orthorhombic product phase possesses unusual mechanical properties, as was first pointed out by olander' and Benedicks." After completion of the transformation on cooling the specimen can be severely deformed, yet on the release of load it springs back to its original shape in a rubber-like manner. Explanation of this phenomenon will require an understanding of the lattice imperfections in the orthorhombic structure and, correspondingly, of those in the initial body-centered cubic structure. Single crystals of Au-Cd alloy containing 47.5 and 49.0 atomic pct Cd were prepared from fine gold (99.95 pct purity) and chemically pure cadmium (99.99 pct purity) by melting the alloy in an evacuated and sealed fused quartz tubing and growing into single-crystal form by the Bridgman method. The Au-Cd alloy containing 47.5 atomic pct Cd undergoes a diffusionless transformation from an ordered body-centered cubic structure to an orthorhombic structure when it is cooled to about 60°C, while the reverse transformation takes place when the alloy is heated to about 80°C, according to electrical resistivity studies. The structures of these two phases have been studied by Blander,4 reinvestigated by Bystrom and Almin.e he lines of Debye photo-gram of powdered samples of Au-Cd alloy containing 47.5 atomic pct Cd prepared in this laboratory were identified and agreed fairly well with those of

Jan 1, 1952

By N. Standish

By contrast with viscometry and sedimentation, no actual measurements of the applicability of Stokes' law to steelmaking have ever been reported; instead, the proof for and against Stokes' law has been inferred from the frequently observed phenomenon that inclusions collect in the top scum and the bottom of ingots. As such proof is unsatisfactory, continued reference to Stokes' law in steelmaking, even as a model for calculating the terminal velocities of rising inclusions, should be avoided. In fact, all conclusions that have been reached regarding size, density, and viscosity on the flotation of inclusions could be made more rationally without Stokes' law. A worthwhile exception is that of Mitsche1 who in 1934 used Stokes' law to show not only the expected effects of size, density, and viscosity on flotation but also the beneficial effects of i) melting under a slag layer (now Electro Slag Refining); ii) treating melts with synthetic slags (Ref. 2 gives recent applications); iii) bubbling an inert gas through the melt (recent applications in Refs. 3 and 4); and iv) altering the solid/ liquid interface characteristics. At this point, it should again be emphasized that the boundary conditions for which Stokes' law was derived place enormous restrictions on the law but its application, as noted earlier, can yield useful results in some fields under certain conditions and within well-defined limits. When compared with inclusions, which may be solid or liquid, spherical or irregular, dispersed or coagulated, interacting between themselves and the melt, floating in a liquid which is in a state of motion of varying intensity5 and contained in vessels of various shapes and sizes that may change with time as in a solidifying ingot, the conclusion is obvious-Stokes'

Jan 1, 1969

By L. B. Slichter

It has been estimated that rock exposures in most mining districts aggregate less than 1 per cent. of the total surface area.1 Conclusions concerning the hidden 99 per cent. necessarily have been based on knowledge of only a small fraction of the surface, and from this limited information the geologist has been obliged to deduce the approximate and general nature of the underlying formations. In the search for ore it is necessary to supplement this general picture with greater detail. Fairly accurate knowledge of relatively small zones is required. This knowledge is carefully sought in many different ways—detailed interpretations of geological history, the tracing of float, the use of test pits, of trenching, of drilling, and of other methods. Practical ingenuity, scientific brilliance, great perseverance and patience, and the expenditure of large sums of money have all been a part of this search. The problem of exploring beneath cover with economy, and of obtaining essential information which this cover hides, is obviously a difficult one. It is also a very important one, for geologist's inform us that already the story of the 1 per cent. exposed outcrops has been largely read.V here remains the nearly virgin field comprised in the hidden 99 per cent.: and the importance of this zone is bound to increase continually. In recent years, the problems connected with the exploration of this "99 per cent. zone" have attracted a constantly enlarging group of investigators and at present greater efforts than ever before are being made to resolve them. This work, in it's various special aspects, has enlisted, beside geologists, the cooperative efforts of chemists, physicists, and mathematicians. The progress made in this development should be kept before those directing explorations in order that due advantage may be taken of a changing situation. My subject concerns certain aspects of one of the older physical methods of exploration, the magnetic method. This method is familiar in principle to most of us, arid because of its age., is especially suitable for

Jan 1, 1929

By E. E. Malouf

Leaching is rapidly becoming an important adjunct to mining operations. A summary of various leaching operations is presented showing the role of these activities to the successful operation of the mining venture. The summary will include recent developments in dump, heap, and in situ leaching of copper and uranium ores. It will include a discussion on the expanding impact of industrial and academic research on leaching as a mining tool, showing the interplay of chemical kinetics and biogenic activity.

Jan 1, 1973

By Cyrus Garnsey

NECESSITY FOR PRICE FIXING DURING the latter part of 1916 and the early months of 1917, clue to war activities, there was a threatened shortage of coal which resulted in panic among consumers and a rush to obtain coal at once at any price. As a result of this insistent demand for immediate delivery, prices were bid up by the consumers to unprecedented heights; spot coal which had previously been selling at from $1.50 to 82 per ton was bid up to $5, $6, and, in exceptional cases, as high as $7.50 or more per ton. Then when the April, 1917, contract period arrived, contracts could be made only at prices ranging from $3 up to $5 and $6 per ton for the year's delivery. This condition caused such a demoralization of the business, and so much complaint, that some action to regulate prices was considered essential by the National Administration. LANE-PEABODY AGREEMENT In May, 1917, a committee under the chairmanship of F. S. Peabody, of Chicago, was appointed by the Council of National Defense, through Mr. Lane, to consider the whole question of bituminous coal. This committee, with the Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Lane, after numerous meetings and long negotiations with the operators throughout the country, announced on June 29 an agreement between the Committee and the producers, fixing a tentative maximum price for bituminous coal throughout the country at $3 per net ton f.o.b. mines, to which was added 25 c. for selling commission to wholesalers. This plan was based on the idea of fixing a maximum price, high enough to greatly-stimulate production, with the expectation that the laws of supply and demand would, with ample production, operate to maintain fair and just prices for coal throughout the country.

Jan 9, 1918

Jan 1, 1970

By R. P. Carreker, J. G. Leschen, J. H. Hollomon

The external appearance of a crystal which has undergone plastic flow suggests that adjacent blocks of the crystal have glided bodily past one another along the slip planes. However, the great discrepancy between the shear stresses calculated to effect such a movement and those actually observed has for many years stimulated searches for more satisfactory interpretations of the slip process. Appreciable success in these efforts has been realized by assuming the presence in the crystal of various sorts of imperfections and by considering the consequences of the presence of these flaws when stress is externally applied. The theory that has received the most attention recently—that of dislocations—postulates the occurrence of small, mobile imperfections or dislocations which move through the crystal along the slip direction, each dislocation being attended by a local shear displacement of one interatomic distance. Thus only that portion of the crystal through which the dislocation has passed may be said to have slipped. Since each dislocation produces a displacement of only one interatomic distance, an avalanche or train of many dislocations would be necessary to account for the observed displacements of several hundred or thousand interatomic distances. The salient point of the theory of dislocations is the concept that a slip band does not suddenly appear in its entirety. On the contrary, it grows progressively across the slip plane as the individual dislocations successively appear and advance in a train through the crystal. However, the concept of growth is not intrinsic only to the theory of dislocations, since atomistic mechanisms other than that postulated by the dislocation theory can quite probably also describe the growth of a slip band. For instance, a slip band might resemble a disc-like interface that appeared and then grew continuously from a small size, producing a displacement that increased with the size of the disc. Whatever the precise mechanism, the concept of growth is in itself consistent both with the observed low values of critical shear stress and with the experimental observation that slip bands frequently do not traverse the entire crystal. The likelihood that slip bands grow implies that they must first be nucleated and that the initiation of slip can therefore be analyzed in terms of the general concepts of nucleation. Indeed, this suggestion was advanced1 several years ago, but the matter does not appear to have been further pursued. Recent advances in the theory of nucleation 2,3,4 have encouraged such a treatment of the slip process. As will presently be demonstrated, this approach to the problem not only accounts successfully for the incubation periods that have been observed 5,6 to precede slip but also predicts certain transient effects in the deformation process. The existence of these transients apparently has not hitherto

Jan 1, 1949

By R. P. Carreker, J. G. Leschen, J. H. Hollomon

THE external appearance of a crystal which has undergone plastic flow suggests that adjacent blocks of the crystal have glided bodily past one another along the slip planes. However, the great discrepancy between the shear stresses calculated to effect such a movement and those actually observed has for many years stimulated searches for more satisfactory interpretations of the slip process. Appreciable success in these efforts has been realized by assuming the presence in the crystal of various sorts of imperfections and by considering the consequences of the presence of these flaws when stress is externally applied, The theory that has received the most attention recently-that of dislocations-postulates the occurrence of small, mobile imperfections or dislocations which move through the crystal along the slip direction, each dislocation being attended by a local shear displacement of one interatomic distance. Thus only that portion of the crystal through which the dislocation has passed may be said to have slipped, Since each dislocation produces a displacement of only one interatomic distance, an avalanche or train of many dislocations would be necessary to account for the observed displacements of several hundred or thousand interatomic distances. The salient point of the theory of dislocations is the concept that a slip band does not suddenly appear in its entirety. On the contrary, it grows progressively across the slip plane as the individual dislocations successively appear and advance in a train through the crystal. However, the concept of growth is not intrinsic only to the theory of dislocations, since atomistic mechanisms other than that postulated by the dislocation theory can quite probably also describe the growth of a slip band. For instance, a slip band might resemble a disc-like interface that appeared and then grew continuously from a small size, producing a displacement that increased with the size of the disc, Whatever the precise mechanism, the concept of growth is in itself consistent both with -the observed low values of critical shear stress and with the experimental observation that slip bands. frequently do not traverse the entire crystal. The likelihood that slip bands grow implies that they must first be nucleated and that the initiation of slip can therefore be analyzed in terms of the general concepts of nucleation. Indeed, this suggestion was advanced1 several years ago, but the matter does not appear to have been further pursued. Recent advances in the theory of nucleations2,3,4 have encouraged such a treatment of the slip process. As will presently be demonstrated, this approach to the problem not only accounts successfully for the incubation periods that have been observed5,6 to precede slip but also predicts certain transient effects in the deformation process, The existence of these transients apparently has not hitherto

Jan 1, 1948

By G. G. Priest, B. E. Morgan

The production of oil and gas from wells is often seriously hindered by the compaction of solids in the perforations during the perforating process. To realize the full productive capacity of a well, it is necessary either to remove the plugging material from the perforations or to perforate in a manner which does not cause plugging of the perforations. The latter method can be accomplished by having a non-plugging fluid in the casing at the time the well is perforated. This paper describes the results of laboratory tests, perforating tests, and experimental field tests which demonstrate that certain emulsions serve effectively as non-plugging perforating fluids. The principal components of these emulsions are two liquids: an aqueous phase consisting of a solution of either sodium chloride or calcium chloride, and an oil phase consisting of diesel oil, tetrachloroethylene, or a combination of both. Small amounts of other agents which serve to stubilize the emulsions, to reduce the fluid loss, and to inhibit corrosion are also present. The density of the emulsions is controllable within the range of 7.5 to 12.5 lb/gal; no insoluble solids are present, the filtration rate is low, and the thermal stability is satisfactory at temperatures as high as 200°F. The corrosion of steel by these emulsions is negligible. Tests conducted under conditions which simulate the temperature and the pressure in an actual well demonstrate that these emulsions fulfill the requirements of a non-plugging perforating fluid. In addition, lirnited field experience furnishes evidence that these emulsions remain in position after they are spotted, that they are retained in the casing after the perforations are made, and that they are easily removed from the perforations when the well is opened for production. When the pressure in the borehole is greater than the formation pressure at the time a well is perforated, plugging of the perforations can be avoided by spotting an emulsion adjacent the interval to be perforated. This procedure should eliminate low well productivity caused by plugging the perforations. INTRODUCTION Nature of Problem The most widely used method for the completion of oil and gas wells is to set and cement casing through productive horizons, and then to obtain production by gun-perforating the section of casing opposite the desired interval. This method is gen- erally successful and it was thought at one time that those failures which did occur were due to insufficient penetration by the perforator. Despite recent improvements in perforators which assure ample penetration, unsatisfactory fluid production continues to be a problem. Evidently, the trouble comes from some other source. Recent results obtained by Allen and Worzel1 demonstrated that low fluid productivity may be caused by the perforating process and/or by the fluid in the wellbore at the time of shooting. They found that perforations are often completely plugged by debris from the perforator, pulverized sand from the formation, and compacted solids from the drilling mud when the pressure in the wellbore is greater than the pressure in the formation at the time of perforation. In some cases a differential pressure in excess of 400 psi was required to initiate flow into the well through these plugged perforations. The plugging of perforations by solids not only causes low productivity from wells, but it creates simultaneously other problems in the production of oil and gas. For example, when most of the perforations are plugged, high rates of flow must occur through the few perforations that are open. The resulting high pressure drop may cause production

Jan 1, 1958